Rai the Samurai
by smileyjill2002
Summary: Rai is the 20-year-old daughter of Rin and Sesshomaru, younger sister to Sesshaku. Her companion is Inazuma, a thunder horse and brother to Entei. Her romantic relationship is with Shippo, who is now all grown up.
1. Chapter 1

A mysterious figure appears instantly behind Sesshomaru. Under the evening sky, in the grassy woodland field the person kneels before him. "I see you've returned from your mission. Are you here for a visit?" Sesshomaru asks, as he turns to face the stranger, whom he sees clad in white samurai armor and a helmet covering the face and head.

"I've returned from slaying the demon that was plaguing okasan's village," replies the stranger in a feminine voice, "I shall leave again. I'm tracking down the band of ronin whom I've been hearing about. I recall their leader is your younger brother."

"As if you need permission from me, Rai. You do what you like." The stranger nods and disappears as quickly as she arrived. Rin approaches Sesshomaru, riding on Aun's back.

"Was that…?" Rin starts to ask.

"Rai's back. She says she's searching for InuYasha. With her nose, it shouldn't take her long."

* * *

The next day, Miroku returns on horseback to Kaede's village. He approaches the house at the foot of Kikyo's hill. "The rumors are spreading," he replies to Sango, who's sitting relaxed in front of a roaring fire.

"So some mysterious samurai is going around from village to village slaying troublesome demons."

"Yeah but it's the way he does it. He slices the demons with fire on one of his swords, completely burning them from the wounds he makes in their flesh."

InuYasha walks into the house. "So how's Kagome holding up?" asks Sango.

"As much as one could expect. Her grandfather is no longer in this world anymore. His funeral is scheduled the night after tomorrow."

"So are you going there?"

"No I hate funerals, you know that. InuYuzu's going in my place."

Shippo strolls the ground outside the house and paces back towards the dry well. At this time Shippo has grown into a young man and looks like he could be 20. Suddenly he senses a foreboding presence approach the village. As he races back to the house, InuYasha dashes out, sniffing the air.

Suddenly, a giant serpent darts across the sky. It flies straight towards the village, crashing its body against the earth, with its mouth always open.

"This vial demon has the gall to pick this village as his target," InuYasha sneers, clinking his sword from its sheath. The serpent glides its body across the ground, snatching a villager in its mouth, and flying across the plains with his arm in its jaws.

"Watch out, InuYasha," shouts Sango racing out of the house, "This thing has friends." She points out four more serpents flying along side the first one, each sweeping the ground for victims. Suddenly a figure leaps upon Kikyo's hill clad in white armor with two swords on the stranger's waist.

"You bastards have picked the wrong village to hunt," the stranger shouts. "I'll show no mercy and take on all five of you at once."

"We'd like to see you try!" hisses one of the serpents, "You look nothing more than a weak human."

"Is that the samurai you were talking about?" asks Sango, looking at Miroku.

"He looks as the rumors describe. InuYasha hold back. I want to see what he can do."

"Like hell I'll hold back!" InuYasha draws the Tetsusaiga out and invokes the wind scar. The samurai ignites one of the swords with flames enveloping the blade. The serpents turn their attention to the samurai and surround him from all sides. Suddenly the samurai leaps into the air and slashes instantly at the serpents. InuYasha blinks his eyes in shock, as though blinded by the fighter's speed. All five serpents burn quickly to ashes, while the man the one serpent snatched falls from the sky towards the ground. Immediately, Kirara transforms in time to catch the man.

Meanwhile, the white-armored samurai walks forward towards InuYasha. "You're him, aren't you? Father told me about you. The rumors of a hanyou ronin have truth to them."

"Who are you, buddy? What are you doing here?"

"I've been tailing those snake demons for a while now. Fancy they lead me to you."

"We've heard of a strange samurai slaying demons," replies Miroku, "You're him, aren't you? You slay demons with fire and leave nothing of their corpses but a burning pile of ashes."

"You're a very wise monk. Father told me about you as well. You are the band of demon-killing ronin. There are a couple details false about this rumor about me. One is the samurai is human and the other…" The stranger pulled off the helmet and revealed a female face, "…is I'm a man, both of which are false."

InuYasha glances at her face and sees her hair and ears the same as his. "Y…you're a dog youkai?"

"Well hanyou if you want to get all technical."

"Your face and armor look like Sesshomaru's," replies Shippo, "Are you one of his minions?"

"Minions? You don't remember me, Shippo? Course it was 16 years ago since we last met. Back then I was a small child."

"You look like Sesshomaru, but you're a woman," replies InuYasha.

"The name's Rai. I'm his musume."

"Why did you disguise yourself as a man?" asks Miroku.

"Can we go inside? I wish not to discuss things out here. What if more of those snakes show up?"

The group enters the house and Rai sits in front of the doorway. Promptly, she removes her dark-gray chest-plate, revealing a white crisscrossing top covering her breasts. "You certainly are a beautiful woman," smiles Miroku excitedly. "Say would you consider bearing my child?"

Sango glares at him with a fiery stare. Rai stares straight into his eyes. "As long as you can take full responsibility in raising this child. I have no time for kids now."

Miroku jolts with an icy chill across his face. "M…me t…take…"

Sango chuckles at him, "She sure got you there, Monk."

"So Rai, you say Sesshomaru is your father," InuYasha tries to confirm, "Then you're my mei."

"You're smarter than you look, Oji(san)," smiles Rai.

"As I remember Sesshomaru and Rin had a daughter about 19 years ago," recalls Sango. "But then three years later, she was kidnapped and killed. Then this woman claims to be this daughter…but you…"

"I asked chichi-ue to spread that rumor for me. I wasn't kidnapped; I went into a dojo far south of here. I stayed at this temple for 16 years, learning the ways of the samurai."

"Why were you disguised as a man? You fight like a man too," acknowledges Miroku.

"To be taken seriously as a fighter, I cross-dress. I don't want you to think of me as a woman. When I battle, I disguise my appearance and make the enemy think I'm a man. Just now when I removed my armor, your reaction to me was the example of what would happen if I revealed my true identity to any man. Besides what dojo takes in women? It's becoming illegal anymore for female warriors to train."

"So for 16 years you pretended to be a boy. How do pull that off completely?" wonders InuYasha, "Eventually you'd have to…"

"You want to know how my daily needs are met. I bathe in secret. While in the dojo, I disguised my actions with masculine moves. Orosa-sensei is a wonderful man. He knew I was a girl, but helped me keep that secret from the other students. Hell whenever I had to piss, he'd sneak me under a bush and stand guard. You see he had three daughters of his own."

"How did you get by with being hanyou?" asks InuYasha, "I'm sure you'd be ostracized by humans. Humans don't usually accept hanyous."

"Speaking from experience? I didn't have that problem. My sensei was like a second chichi-ue to me. And I'd always dye my hair black to make me look human. When I did become human for real, I used that time to train as hard as I can. I still do that."

"You train during your time of weakness? You're like me, but…"

"That's the nature of a true samurai," informs Sango, "They have the ability to turn their weaknesses into strengths."

"So what's with your sword?" asks Shippo, "You fight with both of them, too."

"Yes, but only one kills. The other sword heals." Rai pulls out both of her swords and displays them.

"Fang swords. So they are like my Tetsusaiga. But one heals?"

Rai points to the katana with the large white-silver blade and brown leather handle. "This one is called Hono'osaiga. As you can tell by the name, it's my flame sword. With it I can kill demons, no matter what their number is." She points to the second sword with a shorter blade and a red-and-white braided handle. "This is Naosusaiga. This sword is my healing sword. It acts as my shield in combat. It also has the ability to destroy any undead enemies."

"But if your Naosu…uh healing sword, what good is it if the blade doesn't cut the enemy?" asks InuYasha, "Sessh…I mean your father had a sword like that, but always hated it, calling it useless."

"He told me about Tensaiga. I wanted a blade to rival it. During my youth, I asked Orosa-sensei for breaks. He was such an understanding fellow. I pulled two fangs out of my mouth and went straight to Toutosai. I requested him to make these swords for me. Along the way, I found a dragon lying at the base of Toutosai's volcano, dying. He offered me his heart, scales and his fangs. He instructed me to eat his heart and wished his fangs to be used in the sword that would be Hono'osaiga. Inside that blade, the spirit of the dragon remains alive. Three days later, Toutosai gave me these two swords. He said the one bound in leather would be the flame sword. His scales went into the Naosusaiga."

"So you're getting no protection from Sesshomaru. Your swords protect you from the start. You're on your own?" asks InuYasha.

"That's how I wanted it to be. I don't want you to think you have to protect me, just because I'm your mei." Rai sighs and looks at InuYasha. "It's not as though I'm completely alone. Jii-chan comes to me at night in my dreams."

"My father does that? You've seen him?" asks InuYasha in a shocked voice.

"He helps to train me in the martial arts, Oji(san)."

"By the way, don't call me Oji(san). Makes me sound old. Just InuYasha is fine."

"So you've got a dragon's heart in your body, and his teeth help make up the blade on your Hono'osaiga," confirms Sango.

"I'm mostly certain chichi-ue sent him to me. The night before I requested audience with Toutosai, Miyoga-jii must have passed that message along to him. I know the dragon had to be Aun's son. Aun must have mated with a female and this dragon was hatched from a clutch. But the poor dragon pup was born in a sickly body and was the runt. Chichi-ue must have sent him to the base of the volcano, knowing I would spot him."

"So you aren't completely alone then," sighs Miroku, "So despite his cold demeanor, Sesshomaru still has a father's heart."

"The power your sword has…flame…" InuYasha inquiries.

"Hi no Kizu," replies Rai. "The sword doesn't produce it directly. It merely acts as a conduit of my own power."

"You have the power?" asks InuYasha.

"You're a samurai, InuYasha. Surely you know the sword you wield is the extension of yourself. You transfer power to its blade and wield it like it was a part of you."

"Tetsusaiga's a part of me? It absorbs power. But like an extension?"

"InuYasha," chuckles Sango, "That's how samurais see their weapons. Their swords are extensions of themselves. In time their katanas become their lifeline. Rai is a trained samurai, so her true power is in her own body."

"In training, I would use wooden swords to fight. Then I'd use my real swords out in the world here."

"If you'd like a demonstration, I'd be happy to take you on," smiles Rai, "Pitting an experienced samurai against a dojo student."

"Me against you, Rai?" asks InuYasha, "That should be interesting. I want to see how you use this Hi no Kizu."

Rai smiles and reattaches her chest armor. She resheathes her swords and prepares to walk out of the house. As she walks out, she bumps into Kagome. Both women look at each other in the eyes.

"R…Rai, is it real…"

"Oba(san)," Rai hugs Kagome, "It's been forever since…"

"I thought you were going to stay at home with your mom," replies Sango.

"InuYuzu is there with her. I'll go back. I just…" tears roll down Kagome's face.

"Oba(san), what's wrong?" asks Rai.

"Her grandfather's just passed on," explains Miroku.

"Oh I'm sorry," sighs Rai, "I had no idea." She hugs Kagome harder.

"Seeing you here does make me feel a little better. All this time I thought you were dead."

"I've been training in the southern mountains."

"Training for battle? Which southern mountains?"

"Mount Hiei was where I trained."

"That's down near Kyoto," Kagome replies with a shocked look on her face. "That's far, even in my era."

"Yes and my sensei is there."

"Kagome," smiles Sango, "This girl here, your niece, is a trained samurai. She's got moves I've seen before on samurai warriors. She's been calling InuYasha a ronin in fact."

"That's what he is, isn't he?" asks Rai, "He makes it his livelihood to hunt and kill demons and is paid for it. Same as you all. Plus I saw him draw his sword earlier. A blade bigger than he. That's what a ronin is."

"I'm not hired by anyone. I kill my enemies with Tetsusaiga, and that's it."

"But we do get paid for demon-slaying. That's how we earn money," explains Sango.

"The offer is still on for the battle against you, InuYasha," Rai smirks with an evil grin.

"Me fight a little girl like you. You've got a death wish?"

"I should ask you that, old man."

"Old man!? I ain't old."

"And I ain't a little girl," snorts Rai, "I'm tougher than I look. Your hesitation proves you ain't up to the challenge."

"More like interest."

"You're never this hesitant when facing chichi-ue. Miyoga's told me everything about you. He's been filling me in on your past with chichi-ue."

"I've noticed that little pest had been m.i.a. for longer spells. Seems he's latched on to you now. Whenever I needed information about some unfinished business Oyaji left behind, or the crap we have to deal with after the destruction of Naraku, that little coward is never around."

"Oji(san)! How dare you!" Rai starts to shout. Just then when she closes her eyes and curls her right fist, with her index and middle fingers extended, while simultaneously bringing her fist towards the center on her chest. Silently, she meditates for a couple of minutes. "Sorry, mustn't raise the ire of my elders. It's disrespectful. If my sensei heard me arguing, he'd be dissatisfied." She opens her eyes slowly and looks at InuYasha with calmness on her face.

"So you live by the laws of tranquility and honor. You respect those both older than you and outranking you," sighs Kagome, "Perhaps InuYasha can take lessons from you, Rai."

"Sh…sh…shut up," InuYasha pouts, "What makes her better than me?"

"Maturity for one," laughs Sango, "Plus she doesn't let something, like being hanyou, affect her judgment."

"Please Oji(san)," Rai looks into InuYasha's eyes with a calming smile, "Forgive my lack of manners to you. I may know about you from description, but I know little of you. I've no knowledge of what you're like for real." She bows to him in respect.

"She maybe a hanyou child still, but at least she's mature enough to end a useless fight," admires Shippo, "Apology accepted." Shippo returns her gesture with a bow.

"What did I tell you about accepting things that aren't yours? I have to do the accepting here. If you can't get that then…"

Kagome sighs and rolls her eyes. "Oswari." InuYasha collapses instantly to the ground, face first. "That's how you end a pointless argument with him, Rai. You're proving to be more the adult than he is. It's because of your up bringing. You lived with your sensei most of your life. He trained you and more."

"Orosa-sensei was like a father to me. He knew I was both a girl and a hanyou, but that didn't matter to him. Perhaps that's what kept me there at Mount Hiei for such a long time. He trained me and raised me. In training, he made it know to my peers that I was like them."

"Was it just him who raised you?" asks Kagome.

"He's married. His wife, Yujisa, was kind to me as well. She helped me when I was sick and helped me when womanhood started taking affect."

Just then, Rai feels something like a pinprick on her left cheek. Quickly she covers her cheek with her left hand. After a few seconds, she feels the flea fall into her cupped hand. "Miyoga-jii, what an honor it is to see you, again. Thanks for being there for me all these past years."

"My pleasure, dear. Of all the folks I've ever sucked blood from, I like you the most."

"Give him here!" demands InuYasha, "If you won't squish him…"

"Oji(san)! You'd do that to your elderly vassal? Have you no respect at all? To think I'm even related to you. No, I won't hand him over. He's been a great help to me; I won't betray him." She shields Miyoga from InuYasha with her fingers.

"Rai, you…" Miyoga takes out a flea-sized hankie and blows his beak, "What a sweet, young dog demon you are. To say these things for the sake of an old flea like me."

Suddenly a majestic white horse darts from the sky, towards Rai. His red eyes stare straight at her with bold determination. The wind from his speed brushes through his large red mane and tail. Upon his face he wears cyan-colored tortoise-shell armor with a set of horns, one pair over his nostrils and another upon his eyelids. On his back the same style and color of armor incases him with a white armored saddle on top of the armor. He lands in front of Rai, snorting and neighing at her.

"Inazuma, I understand. You've spotted trouble approaching this village. Who are they this time? Are they demons…" Rai pauses to sniff the air, "Humans. About fifty are headed this way."

"Fifty?" asks Sango, "Who are they?"

"Inazuma says he saw a gang of highwaymen two hours away from here."

"Right, I'll go warn the villagers. Kirara." Kirara growls and transforms herself. Rai dashes back inside the house. She reattaches her whole armor plating and fits her helmet over her head.

"Miroku, can you search the village for strong-looking men? Inazuma will accompany you in the search."

"He looks like Entei. Thirty years ago, we fought that demon."

"Inazuma wants you to forget about him. Inazuma is his younger brother, and he isn't evil. He's my companion." The demon horse kneels down in front of Miroku, allowing him to mount him.

"Just say you want men who are able to defend this village." Inazuma nods and flies off with Miroku.

"Oba(san), perhaps it's best for you to take shelter. Highwaymen can get…"

"We know that much Rai," sneers InuYasha, "I've fought with these types before."

"I can handle these guys," proclaims Kagome.

"Maybe you can protect the headman," suggests Rai.

"We have no headman here," informs InuYasha, "The one in charge is the baba herself. She's up at the temple, praying. She's been up there all day."

"I saw a heavy-set obasan dressed like a miko while up on that sacred hill."

"She's stays at the temple there and has been praying there for quite some time," replies Kagome.

"From what I saw, she looked like she's feeling her age. Perhaps she's feeling her own mortality and knows the feeling won't last forever. There's no time to ponder such things. If you can somehow protect her, at least to be out-of-sight when these disgusting men arrive here."

Rai spots Miroku and Inazuma return to the house. "I've alerted the villagers. There are thirty men here arming themselves, with a great number on horseback. Sango's rounding up all the women, children, and elderly and escorting them to safety. She's got the rest of the men helping her defend the weak and vulnerable." Miroku dismounts the demon horse, as soon as the horse's hooves touch ground.

"Oji(san), aren't you preparing to fight?"

"I don't smell demons to kill. However this sort thing can invite demons to a free buffet."

"Rai, he's not generally the type to fight against humans. Besides he can't kill and human enemies, not allowed to. You shouldn't either, Rai."

"Save me against the guilt trips. These men are ruthless thugs. They're monsters that must be opposed at all cost. I'll defend this town, even to the point of killing anyone wishing to cause harm. If we don't kill them, they will kill us." Rai leaps aboard Inazuma, positioning herself in the saddle. She spots several of the village-men arriving on horseback to greet her.

"Sir, are you the one from the capital?" one of the men asks Rai.

"I'm not. I don't actually work for any castle. Nevermind the details about me, what about you? Are you prepared to defend here?"

"Yes sir. Able and ready," replies the man, trying to settle his horse.

Inazuma stamps his front left hoof in excitement. "Oji…I mean InuYasha, are you going to fight or not. This town can still use your support. I'll go with Inazuma to the highest point to spot the trouble as it approaches. When we spot them, he will send you a lightning bolt in your direction. Have no fear, the bolt he'll send to you is hollow; it has no power to kill you."

Miroku nods with a firm, yet straight face. "You heard him, villagers. Prepare for his signal." Inazuma gallops off as fast as he can, carrying Rai on his back.

"Why aren't we telling these men Rai's really a…?" whispers InuYasha to Miroku.

"She has her reasons not to reveal her identity. Perhaps it's because this is a foreign town to her and she doesn't trust there might be a spy in the village. We'll just have to go with this and not reveal who she is."

"So to gain trust, she has to lie."

"It's not as simple as that, InuYasha. If these thugs are as ruthless as she thinks, then saying she's a woman would expose her to unwarranted trouble."

"Who are you whispering about?" asks one of the villagers, "Some woman?"

"Not just some woman, let me tell you about R…" InuYasha starts to speak when Miroku muffles him.

"Rai's concerned about the village women, that's all. He wants to be certain they're safe from the bandits."

Meanwhile, Rai and Inazuma arrive at the top of a vast hill. "Is it anything like in the region of Kyoto?" Inazuma snorts and nods his head. "How far away are these guys?" Inazuma neighs at her. "I see, we still have time," she leaps off his back.

"Could you stand guard over me? I'm not going anywhere. I just have to go. Couldn't very well do it back in the village with everyone watching." Inazuma nods and lies on the ground beside her, acting as a shield. He sweeps his tail in a secluding gesture, letting her pee in complete privacy. "Come on, Inazuma. You should know me by now. I never enter a battle with a full bladder. Can't very well ask the enemy for a toilet break." She leans forward, resting her chin on her knees.

"I wish chichi-ue was here. Could use his help. I don't know, maybe he could at least advise me. Something like that, it's been awhile since I've seen him."

She stands back up and walks in front of Inazuma's face. She opens up his face armor and strokes his nose with her hand. Rai kisses his nose and closes his armor back up. "I know it'd be impossible to ask him. We'll have to do this. It's not as if this is my first battle. This is even the fifth time I led the charge."

Suddenly a burst of wind gushes up behind her. She turns to see Sesshomaru standing beside her. "Chichi-ue? What are you…?"

"Rai, you wanted me here."

"I just told that to Inazuma. It's not as though I begged you…directly."

Sesshomaru smiles at her. "I wanted to come. You're my little girl. Isn't that enough of a reason to come?"

"I'm only fighting to save a human village. There aren't as many demonic enemies this time. It's not as if I can be killed, right? I'm just…"

"Being hanyou, you have the advantage to survive sword injuries. The part that makes you demon protects you. I know your concern is with the human resistance in this village. You want nobody to die. You get that from your mother, I think."

"I'm just concerned for the villagers. The last battle I was in ended in a total loss. Sure we won the fight, but so many lives were lost and the village was completely destroyed. I just don't…Oji(san)…Oba(san)…I don't want them to suffer." Tears form in her eyes.

Sesshomaru embraces her, holding the back of her head. "You're still a pup, so it's understandable you'd be concerned like this. You just have to have faith. Your oji(san), InuYasha, is a strong, powerful hanyou. It takes a lot to injure him, I should know that much. This village isn't such a powerless village. The humans here are strong. It's not like this is the first time there's been a bandit attack here."

Rai pulls back after awhile and replaces her helmet over her head. "You're still wearing that ridiculous thing?"

"Chichi-ue, you really think it'd be wise of me to show my face to the enemy? If these highwaymen learn I'm a woman…well you should know. Why else do you keep Haha-ue out of such battles? These lowlifes take advantage of women. I choose not to give them the option to have their ways with me."

"Understood, Rai." Rai leaps back onto her companion's saddle. Inazuma nods and swings his head toward Sesshomaru, snorting at him. Just then his ears twitch forward and he darts into the air.

"I see them too, Inazuma. Their stench is closing in." Rai glances out at a large number of men charging forward across the vast fields. Inazuma snorts loudly and hurls a bolt of lightning back towards the village, and into Miroku's direction.

"That's our signal, men!" announces Miroku. InuYasha charges forward, leading the first wave of defense to the front line. Inazuma lands on the ground, just as InuYasha arrives on the look out.

"What are you doing here, Sesshomaru? This is a human war."

"Oji(san)! This isn't the time or place for quarreling," scolds Rai, "He's here because I requested him here."

"You needn't defend me, musume. This arrogant dumbass won't listen to you."

"I dare you say that to my…"

"BAKA, BAKA! Settle this after fighting the real enemy. Really, you can quarrel anytime you wish. I want a successful battle against these real monsters who want this village destroyed. Futile disputes waste time and lives."

"What she said," smirks Sesshomaru, "Rai maybe the youngest member of this family, but she's more grown-up than either of us."

Rai unsheathes her Hono'osaiga and prepares herself and Inazuma for the attack. She waits with several of the villagers, each carrying a sword or club with him.

Just then Miyoga reappears on the top of one of Inazuma's ears. "Be careful, there's at least ten strong demons in the enemy camp. The leader has a demonic aura about him. He appears human, but he's got a scorpion's shadow."

"Thank you, Miyoga. Please report this to Sango at once, so she can be ready if they come her way."

"Don't worry, Rai. Miroku and I can take care of any demons."

"I'll back you up, Rai," promises Sesshomaru. Inazuma snorts towards the direction of the bandits. Two snake-like demons jut out of the enemy camp, slithering across the ground.

"They're trying to intimidate us with these weaklings?" steams InuYasha.

"It's more of a diversion," replies Rai, "They want to scare us into a surrender."

"Won't happen!" growls InuYasha, slicing the snakes with his sword. "Damn, missed him!"

"Inazuma." He blows a lightning blast from his mouth, incinerating the snake upon impact.

"Did you see that?" asks one of the horsemen.

"His horse is powerful. Just what is he, a demon?"

Rai finally sees the army of bandits racing towards the village. She holds her position, waiting for the bulk of the enemy to enter the field.

She brings her sword down. "Men, all in favor of taking prisoners, raise your swords. I really don't care." She sees about ten swords being raised, including Miroku's staff. "How many want no prisoners?" The rest of the forces raise their swords. "The majority wins. Sorry ten, it's either our heads or theirs." She raises her sword again and angles it in the enemy's direction, signaling a charge.

Inazuma springs forward and leads the armed villagers in. InuYasha flanks her on the right and Sesshomaru leads on her left. Rai finds her first enemy and slices him in half with her sword. Two horsemen raced in with her, slaying several enemy men at once. Inazuma charges through a line of enemy horsemen, with his head lowered. Immediately he spikes men with the horns on his face armor, gouging them like a rhino.

A villager dressed in green armor rides along Rai's left side, brandishing a giant ax. He swings the ax through a crowd of evil men, slicing them into pieces. He retreats his horse and rides angled away from her. Rai pays little attention to his actions; instead she concentrates on enemies in front of her. Inazuma races through a blocked area. He swerves into an arc. Evil men surround both warriors.

"Inazuma, take care of the wretches on horseback. I'll handle the guys on the ground." Inazuma snorts in compliment. Rai leaps to the ground, while withdrawing her second sword.

"Why don't you just fight us on your horsy?" sneers one of the men.

"You apparently haven't met us. Don't worry, you won't be alive long enough to care."

"Get him!" shouts a burly voice. Several men close in on her from all sides with swords drawn. She stands with each arm outstretched, each holding a sword. She divides the powers from the dragon to each blade. She holds Hono'osaiga behind her. She swerves out and strikes the man in front of her. Another man rushes in on her from behind, but is met with the tip of Naosusaiga's blade. Instantly she substitutes it with Hono'osaiga and slices him in half. She wheels around and slays five enemies at once.

"Who is this man? What's his deal?" grumbles a shocked muffled voice.

"A trained samurai. Look at his armor and fighting style."

"If he's from the capital, should we retreat?"

"I don't see the rest of his friends here. Kill him. One dead dog shouldn't matter to the shogun."

"You think I work for this disorganized government?" shouts Rai, "My skills are my own; I have no loyalties to any shogun."

"So you're a wanderer, stranger. You fight for yourself."

"I fight to protect. You vermin are planning to raid this village. I won't let you touch it."

"But sir, we were passing through. Your precious village is just in the way. Besides they owe us."

"Ha, what they owe you is what I'll give you now. One way trip to hell." She jabs her Naosusaiga into the ground. "Inazuma! Stand next to me now!" The demon horse darts back towards her and stands beside her, legs hunched, ready for attack. Immediately an unnoticeable barrier draws around them from Naosusaiga's blade. Lightning bolts emerge from the horse's mouth. Rai pulls fire from her hands into Hono'osaiga's blade and holds the sword with both hands. "Now!" shouts Rai. Both fighters spring from the center-point of circular barrier. Rai slices through the enemy's encroachment, burning the enemy combatants instantly with the swift touch of her blade.

Meanwhile Inazuma sweeps the forest grounds with lightning, electrifying his victims with 1000 volts of electricity.

"Men, pull back! These two are demons," shouts one of the evil men.

"So what! We've got demons with us."

"Yes and that hanyou in red destroyed them with his sword. We had demons here with us and this samurai and his horse slaughtered them."

"We have to either pull back now, or call the chief here. He's a demon. Toughest bastard among us."

"Why are you bastards wasting time? Let me take him on. My friend and I can take the toughest bastard you've got," challenges Rai. Inazuma snorts in agreement.

Suddenly a large man with sleek black hair trots his horse towards her. He appears as a tall man with a black kimono top, black hakama, and red samurai armor. His eyes blaze bright red, and stare straight into Rai's, trying to intimidate her into submission. She stares back at him, resisting his threats.

"Young man, you're skilled, I give you that, but you think you can take me on?"

"I eat demons like you for breakfast," challenges Rai, "See I too am a demon."

"Is that so? You think you could take me, Sasorimaru, on. I'm much older than you. I can tell by the look in your eyes, you're a mere child."

"I'm hardly a child. I'm from the Kyoto region. I've been in my share of battles, half of them dealing with lowlife demons like you."

"So there are demons of my caliber in the southern regions. No matter, you're no match for me, child. I've had a hundred years of experience at fighting. I could squash you with one blow."

"Yeah, just try it," sneers Rai. She starts charging towards him, when a sudden gust of wind blasts behind her. Suddenly she sees Sesshomaru standing in front of her. "Ch…Ch…Chichi-ue? What are you doing? I really can handle him."

"No, you're still too young. He's way out of your league. I'll take him on."

"Chichi-ue, but…I'm ready to fight him. I take on tough demons all the times. Kyoto's full of tough bastards."

"That's just it. You're used to demons in the south. I know you can handle yourself. That's not the point. This guy is notoriously hard."

"So this is your oyaji, boy?" sneers Sasorimaru, "You're Sesshomaru. I've heard a lot about you. Since when did you get a kid?"

"None of your business, scum. Rai, back off from this one."

"I can't. Once I challenge someone, I can't just run away. That…"

"I see. You live by pride and honor. When I was your age, that's what I was all about. Then I'll back you up. Will you at least let me assist you?"

"Of course. I can allow that." Rai withdraws her Naosusaiga from the ground and poises for attack.

"Could you take your helmet off, boy? I want to see whom I'm fighting."

"Afraid I can't do that, demon. I never expose my face to scum like you."

"What's the matter? Is it that ugly? Do have so many sword injuries on it…?"

"I'll start by chopping off that tongue of yours!" growls Rai.

"What tongue? I have no tongue," Sasorimaru springs from his horse, killing him immediately. In place of his tongue, a set of feelers wiggles forward. His body expands rapidly, tearing through his own body and clothes. In place of his arms, giant black pincers emerge. His body appears with a black lobster-like body with six bristling legs straddling his body. His body draws back to a long, invertebrate tail, which curves back towards his head, ending in a bulbous stinger.

"So this is your true form?" asks Rai, "So the name Sasorimaru isn't just a cute name you came up with. You're a scorpion demon. Miyoga warned me about you, disgusting bug!"

"And I told you he was hard to handle," reconfirms Sesshomaru.

"You don't understand. This makes the fight more fun. If you find him hard to beat, Chichi-ue," smirks Rai, licking her lips.

"I actually do understand. I didn't say I couldn't beat him."

"Since you honored me by showing your true self, bug." Rai resheathes her Naosusaiga and removes her mask.

"A woman?" replies one of the remaining human enemies. "This samurai's a woman?"

"Impossible! The way she fights, only men fight like that."

"So, you've been a woman this whole time," hisses Sasorimaru, "Not that it matters to me, you're still going to die."

"Not if I have anything to say about that," sneers Sesshomaru, "Rai!"

She nods and flanks the giant scorpion on his left. Instantly she dashes beside him and strikes at his underside. He tries to stab her with his tail, but misses as she darts immediately out of the way.

Sesshomaru steps forward with Bakusaiga and rams it directly in the head. Sasorimaru shakes his head violently, trying to grab at him with his right pincer. Sesshomaru retreats instantly and slices off the creature's pincer.

"You think it be that easy to be rid of me. Fool! No attempts to kill me can be reached. My body is impenetratable. It's rock hard. No sword can break this shell."

"Quit your boasting! Nothing in this world is like that, not even your precious shell. If swords can't touch you, what about flames?" She stabs the ground with her Hono'osaiga and produces a ring of fire around Sasorimaru.

"You'll need fuel for this fire," Sesshomaru smirks, releasing poison from his claws. The fire quickly consumes the poison and engulfs Sasorimaru's entire body, eating at him, shell and all.

Sasorimaru's henchmen draw back in fear at the two demons standing in the middle of the forest. Rai stares out at the retreating men. "Uh…lets r…retreat, fellas. This bitch is too deadly, especially with her father here."

As she watches the enemy camp retreat, she notices blood dripping from Sesshomaru's right arm. "Chichi-ue, are you okay?"

"Oh you worried about this? It's nothing. I just got a small cut from another demon."

She presses her hand gently against his right shoulder, only to have blood printed on her hand. "You're not fine." She draws Naosusaiga out of its sheath. "Please remove your armor so I can get to that wound."

"You're just like your mother." He unhinges the armor and shrugs off the top of his kimono.

"Wow, you are injured. Hold still." She holds the blade against his flesh, creating a green glow around the injured shoulder. "See, this isn't called 'The Healing Sword' for nothing." She watches the wound on Sesshomaru's shoulder close up quickly, stopping the bleeding immediately.

"Chichi-ue, sorry what I said, earlier. Sorry for defying your orders. You wanted me to stop and I wouldn't. I was just…"

"…Caught in the moment. In the heat of battle, it happens. When I was your age, that's all I was about. I was a young pup, out on my own. I had more guts than brains. That was amazing you figured out how to kill Sasorimaru."

"I remembered that from the dojo. At dinner, I was put in charge of cooking duties. Lobster was a usual favorite among my peers and me. I figured the concept with this huge scorpion would be the same, since both creatures possess rock-hard bodies."

"He said he knew you? Directly?"

"No, just…you've not been around enough. You haven't got any ideas about who I am."

"Not personally, no. I've had enough folks filling me in. Jii-chan, Miyoga-jii, Toutosai-jii, Aun's son (Hiun)…"

"Okay, so you know indirectly." Rai smiles at him, as she returns both swords to their sheathes. She spots Inazuma grazing in a fresh spot of grass and whistles to him. He snorts and walks over to her.

"What were you going to say when you wanted to fight him for me?"

"Oh, just that I was worried about you. I knew you could handle yourself in battle. I was watching you fight all those bandits at once. But, I knew Sasorimaru was a hard opponent. He was true in saying he had a hundred years of war experience. But what he didn't say was how many times he lost or ran away. That monk, Miroku, tried sucking him in while he had a wind tunnel. But the coward would always divert the thing, or he would summon Saimyoushou to his aid." He grabs her and embraces her. "Rai, when he threatened to kill you, I couldn't allow him to do that."

"Chichi-ue."

"I know you're a wise, clever hanyou. And yet you're my musume; just even the thought of you…I couldn't allow that. I'm not used to such feelings of warmth, but you can't die."

"Chichi-ue," she whispers. Slowly her eyes start to close.

"Rai. Rai," he starts to shake her, only to have her fall limply in his arms. "So that's it. With after all the action you've seen today, your body has had enough. That would be the price to pay for being half human." He picks her up and looks at Inazuma. "Could you take Rai back to the village?" The horse nods and kneels down beside Sesshomaru and Rai. He places Rai onto the saddle on Inazuma's back. Immediately, Inazuma creates a protective barrier, preventing her from slipping off his back.


	2. Chapter 2

As Inazuma stands back on his feet, Jaken approaches them in a hurry. "Sesshomaru-sama, your mission, was it to your liking?" He looks nervously at Inazuma and sees Rai on his back. "InuYasha?"

"Fool, does this person even look like him? Look at the face."

"Oh this is Rai-chan. Thousand pardons. Your musume looks so much like him."

"Why because she has long silver hair and dog ears? She's a half-demon just like InuYasha is. Sesshaku looks like this too."

"Yes, except he's always got his hair tied back." Inazuma lowers his head and sniffs at Jaken.

"What Horse? Something interesting about me?" Jaken sneers. Inazuma grunts and lifts his head to Sesshomaru.

"Really, you think that? You're a smart one." Inazuma snorts and grunts in lower tones.

"What did he say?" demands Jaken. Inazuma ignores him and neighs in short low grunts.

"So be it. Take her back to the village." Inazuma snorts in compliment and leaps into the air. He flies with her on his back, over the lands of Musashi. He spots several of the villagers returning to their homes and resuming their normal lives. He spots the house in front of the sacred hill and zooms in for a landing outside the house. He catches the eyes of InuYasha and lands beside him.

"So Horse, I see you've brought my mei back. How long were you two with my brother?"

Rai starts to awaken. "I was with Chichi-ue just now. Inazuma, you brought me back here?" she asks in a sleepy voice. Inazuma releases his barrier and allows her to leave his saddle. She slides off and prepares to remove his face armor and harness. She frees the saddle and armor from his back and allows him to roam free.

"So you let your horse do what he wants?" asks InuYasha.

"No, he's not mine. Inazuma belongs to no one. He's a free spirit just like I am. We're great friends, allies in battle. He protects me and fights along side me. In exchange, I offer him friendship, food, shelter, and care for his needs and wants. He's my partner."

"So that's your relationship with him," sighs Sango, emerging from the house with Kirara. "Then Inazuma to you is like Kirara to me. Rai, I don't own her either."

Inazuma walks up to Sango and nuzzles her. He sniffs at Kirara on her shoulder; coming nose to nose with the nekomata. Kirara purrs in delight while Inazuma muzzles her gently. Sango reaches up and pets his soft nose. "You're a sweet thing, aren't you?" Inazuma kisses her neck, tickling her with his dopey lips.

Meanwhile Kirara leaps onto Rai's shoulders and nuzzles her. "What a cute little kitty you are?" Kirara licks her on the nose, causing Rai to giggle.

Slowly Inazuma backs off and leans his face against Rai's ears. "Of course. Just make it back in time for bed." Inazuma trots a few feet from Rai and Sango and flies off into the air again.

"Why did he leave like that? Did I do something to upset him?" asks Sango.

"It's nothing bad. Inazuma wanted to make sure this area receives no more trouble. Besides he's such a modest horse. He doesn't answer nature's call in front of anyone, not even me."

"That's strange for a horse," comments InuYasha. "He never…you know…"

"That's his nature. Rarely do I think of him as a horse. He's almost a human disguised as a horse. Keep in mind he's a demon. This is Entei's brother."

"Yeah but unlike Entei, he doesn't come across as evil. There's not an evil bone in his body, as far as I could tell," recalls Sango.

"He isn't evil. He detested Entei," replies Rai, "He says he's glad Entei's dead. He thanks you folks for destroying him."

Rai walks back into the house, carrying Inazuma's armor with her. She sets the saddle over the harness, and lays both on the ground outside the house. Immediately the saddle erects a barrier around the pile, making it appear invisible to passers by.

"When he returns, where does he sleep?" asks Sango.

"He'll sleep just outside the door. So will I. He makes an excellent bed. We have to sleep in the wilds, so he guards me while we sleep. He erects a warming barrier to keep intruders out and us safe and warm."

Rai stands outside, waiting for Inazuma's return. While she waits, a few villagers approach the house. She sees five men and three women in the small group. "We wish to speak to InuYasha about some things. Is he in, young lady?"

"Oji(san), you've got visitors."

"What is it, Rai?" he asks, poking his head outside, "What business do you folks have?"

"Wait this is Rai?" asks an old woman, "My son was fighting with a samurai going by that name."

"It must be a coincidence. Two people named Rai in this village. That was a man, Ryoko-dono," replies a black bearded man, "This Rai is a hanyou like InuYasha-sama, and is a woman."

"Did you people come all this way to bug me about Rai?" sighs InuYasha.

"My daughter's fallen ill," replies the bearded man.

"My sons have too," gripes a bald man, "Raji, my second son, he was about to get sick when I ran to get help. Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm not a doctor," shrieks InuYasha. "I've got no way to cure illnesses. The one who does that is Kagome, but she went back home."

Rai stands away from the doorway, taking only her Naosusaiga with her. "I'll go with you folks. I'm great as healing and curing illnesses."

"You, young lady? What's the sword for?" asks Ryoko.

"Rai, hold on," shouts Miroku, rising to his feet, "Can I come with you?"

"Sure thing, monk. Are you able to cure illnesses too?"

"Of course. When Kagome isn't here, I take up the task. Sometimes you get a toxic demon trying to cause an illness to spread."

"Yeah," smirks Rai, "It's called a virus."

"So where did that samurai go? The one with the demonic powers."

"Rai, do you want to tell them?"

"Might as well, however a demonstration would be better."

"Better for what?" asks the bald man.

"Well you see, Takute…this samurai is…"

"Monk, can I tell him?" Rai opens her right palm and produces a fireball, "This is from the dragon's heart I swallowed about thirteen years ago."

"You've had that since you were six?" asks Miroku.

"That's right. The heart from the dragon reacts with his fangs and that's how the flames around my Hono'osaiga are produced."

"That samurai was using fire to kill his enemies. My son thought he was just caring a torch at first, but then he saw the flames coming off the sword itself."

"If you thought that was weird, his horse was even more bizarre. He had to be a demon. That lightning was coming straight out of his mouth."

"That's Inazuma," sighs Rai. She peers up and sees him flying overhead. The horse swoops down and walks beside Rai.

"That's the horse," shrieks Takute.

"No need to be alarmed by him," reassures Rai, "He's gentle." He nuzzles Rai. "Did you clean yourself off after you peed? It's not as though I doubt you." He grumbles softly into her ears. "Oh I see, so you discovered a royal treat, while searching for a place. Perhaps we'll check it out tonight."

"What's a royal treat?" asks Miroku.

"Inazuma found a hot-spring during his search for a secluded area to go. Inazuma is very particular about privacy. He won't do his thing while anyone's around. He even scolded me once when I accidentally walked in on him."

"It almost sounds like you're talking about my eldest son here," chuckles a middle-aged woman, wearing a bright red kimono, "One time I accidentally walked in on him taking a bath. He covered himself up and chewed me out."

"Inazuma says he knows all about that," laughs Rai.

"So he found you a hot spring," replies Miroku.

"Not just me, the treat is for the both of us to share. That's how we do things. I wash him in the spring. His body acts as a cushion. Both of us just lay back and relax."

"That's what my wife, Sango, and Kirara do. You couldn't separate the two, no matter what. Kirara is her ally during battle, her companion when she needs one, she'll sleep on Kirara when we're out on a demon hunt. Sango would be lost if Kirara wasn't around."

"That's what he means to me," sighs Rai, "And just like with Kirara, I don't own Inazuma; no one does. He's free to do what he wants. I never ask him to do anything he doesn't want to do."

"So this samurai, young lady, are you implying you know him?" asks Takute.

"Not know him. Sir, I am 'he'. I'm this samurai you refer to."

"That can't be. The samurai calling himself Rai wore a mask to conceal his identity. He fought how I've seen most fight. He was all bold and swift. No woman I know fights the way he does."

"Sir, if you'd like a demonstration, I could show you with this sword. You don't have to worry about being killed. This sword heals and acts as a shield. It can't harm you." She unsheathes her sword. She walks further on from the group about ten feet away, turns to face them, then charges straight at them with instant speed. She raises her sword and slices through the entire group.

"What just happened? Was I even cut?" asks Takute.

"I felt that blade go right through me," recalls the middle-aged woman, "I think it took away this ache in my stomach. I was beginning to feel sick. I was so sure I was going to throw up, but now I don't feel like that anymore."

"Ma'am, it's because this is a healing sword," explains Rai. "Earlier I was out in the battlefield with Chichi-ue and he had a bleeding injury on his right shoulder. He was prepared to shrug it off and deal with it on his own. But I used the power on this sword and healed his injury completely."

"By Chichi-ue, you mean…I saw Sesshomaru there," replies Miroku, "He was fighting beside you?"

"Not the whole time, but the leader was this 100-year-old scorpion demon." "He said I remind him of he when he was young."

"That's probably true. When he was your age, he was fighting side-by-side with his father. Perhaps he's reliving those moments with you, like passing a torch."

"Why isn't Oji(san) like that? Did he get passed up, and that's why he hates Chichi-ue?"

"Their father died the night he was born. InuYasha never had a father to look up to. He's most likely jealous Sesshomaru had that upbringing."

"So that's it," Rai sighs, "How painful. If I knew…" Tears start rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know what's that like. I've lived at the dojo all this time, and both Chichi-ue and Haha-ue would come see me on a regular basis. I wasn't alone, not once. But if…I hate to think of anyone being deprived of that life."

"That's understandable. Your life was rich and you had a normal childhood. If you ever hear of any other life opposite of yours, like if someone was ostracized for being different, or lost both of their parents at a very young age, then you feel sad for them. InuYasha went through that." Rai pauses on the road and starts to weep.

"I had no idea." Inazuma hangs his head over her shoulders, letting her cry into his mane.

"Sorry, Rai. I didn't mean to upset you. I know you're trying to be as tough as you can."

"It's not just that. What if the enemy is watching me? If he spots me crying like this, acting like a woman, all my credibility as a powerful samurai would disappear."

"What enemy? Is someone after you?" asks Miroku.

"You remember those flying snakes from this morning. They come from my region of the country, Kyoto. Somebody's controlling their moves. Have you ever heard a demon called Nakuhebi?"

"I've heard of someone with that name. Hebi means snake. Why what's this Nakuhebi after?"

"The Crystal Stone of Jukon. It's a stone that rivals any demonic power."

"Jukon? That's ten souls. Where do you even get that?"

"It's deep inside Mount Hiei. There's no way to get in there unless the deity of that region knows you. And by knows you, you have to die then be revived by his hands alone. You also have to be very powerful to get through in one piece. A great number of humans, demons, and even hanyous have gone inside the cave, but none have made it out."

"So this Nakuhebi is after the stone…and he's searching for you?"

"He's been dormant for eighty years because there was another powerful force in search of a different stone. The deity was very concerned about this, that's why he made the passage into the cave impenetrable and killed anyone foolish to wander in."

"The only stone I can think of at the time was the Shikon-no-Tama."

"That's what Nakuhebi was after in the beginning. He wanted that stone for himself. He wanted that because it would mean he could get the Jukon without going through Rakutaka's trial-by-death."

"These two aren't allies, are they?"

"Just the opposite. Rakutaka wants Nakuhebi dead. Nakuhebi wants someone with enough power, willing to die and then be revived just to get the Jukon Stone. After that, he wishes to destroy Rakutaka."

"Do you have plans to get your hands on it?"

"And do what, Miroku-sama? I want to prevent the stone's removal. That stone is the vital link to all living things. If it's removed, then all life will suffer."

An old man races out of his house, as the group passes by. "Please, Miroku-sama, come quick. My grandson. He's…he…" Miroku jumps back at the sound of a kid coughing and making splattering sounds on the ground.

"Yeah, he's throwing up," Miroku sighs.

"This sounds more like influenza, rather than a demon," replies Rai, "This will be no problem to heal."

"Are you going to cure him with your sword?" asks Ryoko.

"I can, but I have medicinal herbs inside the handle. I've got quite a few that drive off the flu."

"So your sword is last resort."

"I try human methods first before using it. I don't want you dependant on the sword. I'm a wanderer after all. Besides this sword is used for severe cases, such as battlefield wounds, poisonings from venomous demons, near-death injuries, etc. I'll use it when all other options fail to cure someone, or the disease is determined to be untreatable and the victim is sure to die."

"Usually we have Kagome-sama to help us but she's not here. Her husband said she's home."

"Understandable, she told me her grandfather died," sighs Rai, "And judging by the look on her face, he meant everything to her." Rai unties the top straps of the handle of her sword and pops the hinge on the top. She reaches in with her claws and retrieves a small reed with white dried fruits, like grapes. She walks inside and pops a few of the berries off onto an empty clay tray and starts smashing the berries with the back of a wooden ladle, creating a juice. She pours the juice into a wooden cup and gives it to the boy. "Drink this, young man. This berry is from bushes found all over the summit of Mount Hiei. They heal things like influenza and I'm sure it'll ease your stomach tonight."

The boy sits up weakly and cautiously sips the drink. "This tastes yummy, thanks InuY…hey you're a girl," he replies with a startled expression.

"Natori, how are you feeling?" asks his grandfather.

"Jii-chan, I'm feeling better. That stuff she gave me."

"The best thing now is to get some rest. That's the best way the juice can work through your body," instructs Rai. "By morning, you should be back to your old self."

"Lady, what is that stuff?" asks the middle-aged woman, "Can I buy it from you?"

"Mitsuko, that stuff has to be rare. The only place you get it is from is in the Kyoto region," replies Takute.

"Actually, I have the seeds with me," chimes Rai, "You can plant them here if you'd like. This is White Wildbrush. This is a fast-growing plant that can grow in almost every soil type. Hell if it can grow on Mount Hiei, of all places, then it'll grow here. As soon as you plant them, they sprout and grow overnight. You'd have berries by morning."

"Can we buy them off of you?" asks Mitsuko.

"I don't want to charge you for them. I'll just give them to you."

"Nonsense. It's not like this village is broke. You need money for food and lodging."

"I'm a wanderer. I have no need for money, such a waste. When I'm hungry, I can always catch fish or kill a boar. I've been living that way since I left the dojo. I take handouts from no one and travel to whatever village needs help when demons are up to no good. I do get paid, but always return the money back to the village or give it to their holy temple." Rai walks over to Mitsuko and the small group of villagers and hands out a tiny bag from a pocket in her white leggings.

"Is this it?" asks Mitsuko.

"Just take out a seed and plant it in front of your house. By morning a bush full of these berries should be ripe and ready for picking."

"Who would have guessed the niece of InuYasha would be so helpful and knowledgeable?" smirks Takute, "It's almost having InuYuzu and Kagome here."

"We should let Kaede-dono know about her," suggests Takute.

"Did someone call out my name just now?" replies an old firm voice.

"Kaede-sama, it's you. What are you doing down here from Kikyo's Hill?" asks Takute, scratching his head.

Rai looks at her then kneels before her, bowing as low as she can. "Obasan. I've heard so much about you, both from these villagers and from Oji(san). It's an honor to meet a fine miko like you."

"By the hair and ears, I could tell you're related to InuYasha. However by your manners and charity, I can see you're nothing like him. You must be this Rai I keep hearing about."

"I am, Obasan. I'm the daughter of Sesshomaru-sama and Rin-sama. I've come through here from the lands of Kyoto and Mount Hiei in the south. At the temple at Mount Hiei, I received samurai trained for the last sixteen years."

"You're the daughter of Sesshomaru?" asks Natori's grandfather in disbelief.

"What does that mean, Raji-dono?" asks Mitsuko, "Just who is this Sesshomaru?"

"He's the demon who was super powerful no man could kill. In my younger days, about sixty years ago, I was part of a gang of mercenaries. My gang was prepared to attack a village for the shogun, when he appeared. With one single slash of that strange whip of his, my whole gang was wiped out. Only three of us were spared. From that time on I was terrified of him. Who would have guessed after all these years, he'd marry that human girl and have a couple of hanyou pups of his own?"

"So you're telling me this girl, this hanyou dog, is his daughter?" asks Mitsuko.

"Does this mean I'm not welcomed here?" asks Rai in a sad quiet voice, "Because Chichi-ue is this powerful demon dog."

"It's not like that," assures Raji, nervously, "You obviously haven't inherited your father's demeanor towards humans."

"Will she attack us though, like InuYasha did?" asks Ryoko.

"No," reassures Kaede, "If that was her intention, she wouldn't have hesitated. She wouldn't be giving you seeds to plant this medicine. She didn't demand money in return, in fact she refused it. This girl here, Rai, is a welcomed visitor for this village. She can stay here as long as she likes. Do you have any place you're staying?"

"I'm currently staying at Oji(san)'s house. However, I have no place for Inazuma. I usually sleep on him. He curls up on the ground and protects me through the night."

"This horse is what she calls Ina…" points out Mitsuko.

"He's not a thing. Inazuma's my best friend. I don't even think of him as a horse," Rai starts to scold.

"It's all right, Rai. I've got plenty of room for your friend," smiles Kaede.

"You want a horse staying there with you," sneers Mitsuko, "You know we have stables."

"Mitsuko, it'd be like asking Kirara to stay in a cat shelter," scolds Miroku. "Inazuma isn't just some horse. He's a demon and Rai's companion."

Rai notices Inazuma suddenly gone. "Where is he?" She stands up and darts away from the house. She looks around until she spots him beside one of the stables. She walks over to him and sees three fillies standing around him. "I thought so. Womanizing, again."

"Really," chimes Miroku. He walks over to the stable and sees Inazuma braying at the fillies. Inazuma lowers his head, trying to lick their hooves. One of the fillies stomps her hoof, and whinnies, as though she's laughing at his antics.

"He does this. No matter what village we come to, if he catches the eyes of a young filly, he'll flirt with her. He'll kiss her hooves, nibble her ears, and then offers her to mate with him."

"That sounds like what you do with women, Miroku," chuckles Kaede.

"But I'm married. I haven't done that…"

"Oh really!" smirks Rai, "This morning when I was at the house and removed my armor, you asked me to bear your child."

"Yeah," sighs Kaede, "with him, nothing changes. He's the same old lecherous monk he's always been. Seems like the lecherous mind has expanded into Inazuma." The demon horse ignores all the comments and starts kissing one of the fillies on her neck.

"Inazuma, you'd better leave them alone for now. I think the stable's stud is on his way now. If he catches you…well you know what happened last time," warns Rai. Inazuma sniffs the air and backs away from the stable.

"What happened last time?" asks Miroku.

"He got a royal butt chewing. One of the villages to the south of here, he was flirting when the main boss of the stable caught him."

"The main boss, like the head stallion," sighs Miroku, shaking his head.

"Speaking from experience?" asks Rai.

"Of course he is," replies Sango, as she walks along the road of the village.

"Where did you come from? How long have you…?" asks Miroku, sheepishly.

"Long enough, I guess," replies Rai. Inazuma swerves to greet Sango. He looks at her with a guilty grin and bows to her.

"What are you apologizing to me for? I'm not the one who takes care of you. You're just like any lecher."

"Don't look at me, Inazuma," snuffs Rai, folding her arms and shifting her head away from him, "It's not like you're sincere about these apologies. You're playing innocent only because you were caught. Bail yourself out, you lecherous horse."

"Don't worry, Inazuma," Miroku whispers, leaning into his ears, "You're just a normal man who can't help himself around young ladies. You want a son to carry on your name." Inazuma nods and swerves his head, as though embarrassed to admitting the truth.

Sango yanks on Miroku's ear, "Are you giving him more advice on lechery? Don't you think Rai's got enough trouble as it is?"

"It's nothing like that," Miroku replies, frantically. "He's just…a…man…horse searching for his mate. That's all…I wasn't…" He scratches the back of his head while faking a laugh.

"Right…" sighs Sango, "You never change. Once a lecher, always a lecher."

Inazuma swerves his head and snorts softly into Rai's ear. "You're that anxious, huh. We can still go if you want. The night's still young."

"Why what's going on?" asks Sango.

"While Inazuma was searching for a place to pee, he says he spotted a very nice hot spring. Large one too."

"You mean the one east of here deep in the forest. That's an old mountain hot spring we use quite often. It's a wonderful place for bathing."

"Would you like to go, Sango? He can fly us there. He says he's offering."

"Sure, I'd love to come. Should I wake Kirara first?"

"Can't you give her the night off? Inazuma says he's itching to go. He's been excited ever since he saw the place."

Inazuma kneels down, letting Sango get on his back first. Rai leaps on after Sango and Inazuma stands to his feet. He leaps gracefully into the air, with the girls safely on his back. He glides across the tree line, using the air currents for lift. Sango looks out at the night sky, seeing the moonlight glisten through the clouds, almost making the illusion of daylight. "I fly on Kirara all the time. Sometimes I feel like I'm taking her for granted."

"I feel like that with him sometimes," sighs Rai, "We travel so often. Even while at the dojo, there were times my sensei would have us out on real missions and I would fly everywhere with him. Sensei knew not to separate us, after awhile."

Inazuma drops down towards the hot spring, searching for the best landing spot. He lands gently upon a grass area, just in front of the hot spring.

"How did you two meet?"

Inazuma kneels down, letting his two passengers off. Rai begins to undress first.

"You sure you can do that in front of him? He's a lecher," warns Sango.

"He's only into horse women, not humans like us," reassures Rai, standing naked in front of the spring. "Please don't splash too much, this time," Rai cautions Inazuma. He nods and steps lightly into the water."

"He's in here too?" asks Sango.

"This spring's quite large. It can take all of us."

"I know but…"

"What are you afraid of? It's not like he's going to desecrate the water. This is the cleanest horse you're ever going to meet. He won't make a mess. He cleaned himself out earlier. He says when he left us; he was in a major hurry. He didn't know how far he was going to make it. When he landed in the forest, he says it just came out."

"Wow, so what does this mean?"

"That it won't happen now. All he wants to do is relax."

Rai slips into the water and swims over to him. Sango steps in cautiously, trying to overcome the large animal. "Sorry, I'm not used to bathing with any animal. Not even Kirara will bathe with me."

"Just think of him as some guy watching over us, protecting us from human lechers," smiles Rai.

"So, how did you guys meet?"

"My father's the one who sent him to me. I was only a small child when I entered the dojo. Chichi-ue wanted someone there to protect me, especially being hanyou and very weak in demonic power. He knew all by myself, even in the walls of the dojo, I wouldn't be safe from demons. There was a particularly nasty group that craved hanyou blood. It was then he learned of a horse that had been sealed, the same way Entei was. This horse was even his younger brother. The monk that heard about Entei feared Inazuma as well."

"Shinsen-sama's the one who sealed Entei, but that was almost 40-years ago. Entei was released by an underling working for Naraku."

"The shrine of Inazuma was in the Nagasaki region. But Monk Inaramo feared Inazuma would try finding his brother and unseal Entei's shrine, so he sealed him. Soon after he was sealed, the monk died." Rai gazes up at his face, "When I arrived at the dojo, Chichi-ue broke the seal and set him free. Then he asked Inazuma to introduce himself to me and stay by my side."

"Do you think he would have really gone after his brother, Entei?" asks Sango.

"To kill him, perhaps. Inazuma hated him that badly. He told me he would have unsealed the tomb and strike at Entei himself. But he's just as glad Entei's been killed off by you guys. He wants to repay you somehow."

"You talk as if you actually talk to him. Are you some type of horse translator?"

"The way I hear him, it's like he's speaking the words of man. While we humans talk through actual words, animals have a different way to speak. Animals communicate with emotions and telepathy. I believe your nekomata speaks to you like that, does she not?"

"Kirara does have her own voice. I can understand her just fine. Sometimes though I wonder if she understands me."

"When you've stayed with your animal companion for most of your life, you learn very quickly what he or she is telling you. Doesn't matter if what your talking about is something big, like 'how many demons are after us', or if it's tiny things, like 'I'm hungry, or 'I've gotta rest.'"

"It's like that with Kirara. I suppose you and Inazuma have that relationship between the two of you. You talk about him as though he's human."

"Sometimes I forget he's a horse. I've been with him so much that it's easy to forget. I'll even refer to him as a person, rather than the demon horse that he is."

Suddenly Inazuma snorts, as though sounding a warning. "You sure about that?" asks Rai.

"What's the matter?" asks Sango.

"He's sensing someone walking through these woods. They smell like men…no this odor. Is it them again?"

"Who's them? Not those thugs we faced earlier today."

"Not this time. There were demonic wolves following us from the mountains in Kyoto. I don't know what they want or who they are."

"Should we get out and get dressed?"

"If we hurry. Damn it, I've got the wrong sword with me too. Inazuma, could you fly back to Oji(san)'s house in the village? Please bring me Hono'osaiga. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine for now." He nods and flies off from the spring.

"Demon wolves are after you?"

"They must've learned about the Jukon Stone from me."

"Jukon? Is that anything the Shikon-no-Tama?"

"Your husband mentioned something about that jewel. It was meant to help seekers of the Jukon locate and possess it without having to go through the Trial by Death and Revival. Nakuhebi is a demon that controls snakes. He wanted the Jukon so badly; eighty years ago he tried to come after the Shikon. But some unholy bastard beat him to it. He cursed that demon for its disappearance. Then fifty years later the jewel he wished for resurfaced. Nakuhebi tried to claim it again. And again the jewel was stolen by the same demon. Nakuhebi came after him once to snatch the jewel, only to be thrown into a state of dormancy that would last for thirty years."

"So Naraku's influence had reached all the way to Kyoto," sighs Sango.

"Not just there, but the whole south, from Kyoto to Kagoshima. That whole area was influenced by Naraku. Now it's being influenced by Nakuhebi."

"So what's the power of the Jukon? Is it anything like the Shikon was?"

"Comparatively speaking, the Shikon-no-Tama was as powerful as a marble. The power on the Jukon is enough to wipe out every living thing on this planet. At the same time, it protects this world from the apocalypse. Nakuhebi wants it to wipe out all mortal life and proclaim this as a monster's paradise. Every demon who wants to call this home can."

"That's sort of what Naraku wanted the Shikon for. Total annihilation. So basically both wanted the same thing. This Nakuhebi's mad because Naraku got to the Shikon jewel first."

Inazuma reappears with the sword and Rai's armor in his mouth. "I need this too? All I wanted was…oh I see. You sensed the demonic power off the wolves. Just how many are there?"

"What's he saying?" asks Sango.

"He says these wolves possess great power. He spotted them as he flew away from the forest." Rai climbs out of the water, letting Inazuma dry her with his breath. "We must hurry. They were spotted heading this way just a short time ago." Rai quickly dresses and leaps onto his back. Inazuma stands in front of Sango, acting as a shield for her naked body. Sango hurries with getting her clothes on, while Rai pans the area with her Hono'osaiga, ready to be drawn.

"Who goes there? Show yourselves, wolves!" Rai hollers out. She sees two dark figures approaching them. Inazuma spits on the ground, igniting a pile of dead leaves, creating a fire. He sneers at the figures. Rai discovers a pack of wolves surrounding them. "Don't you dare come any closer! Inazuma and I take out you lowlifes all the time."

She sees the two figures trembling in fear. "W…we just want a word with you, InuYasha," quivers one of the voices.

"Yeah please. We just wanted to ask you about that red jewel you're carrying."

"What would you know about the red jewel? Who told you?"

"Hang on, that's not the voice of InuYasha. That's clearly a woman's voice, idiot."

"But that smell is definitely his."

"Hey wait, Rai. I know those two voices. They aren't enemies," assures Sango. She walks towards the two figures and marches them into the light. "These are Ginta and Hakkaku. These two are allies with the demon wolf-tribe leader, Koga."

Rai leaps off of Inazuma's back and stands before the two wolf demons. "Hey, InuYasha, why do you look like a woman?" asks Ginta.

"I am a woman, you halfwit. I'm InuYasha's mei, Rai."

"His mei? Then that would make you related to Sesshomaru as well," replies Hakkaku.

"Sango, are these two missing their brains? Sesshomaru is my father."

"Father? You mean that scary brother of InuYasha…but that can't be," shivers Hakkaku.

"It can and it is," Rai sighs, slowly getting irritated.

Suddenly a strong tornado tears across the water of the spring. She sees Koga in front of her. "You morons. Can't you tell this hanyou mutt has a different smell than his? For one thing this has the sweet essence of a woman in it."

"So you must be this Koga I've been hearing about. Were you the guys the ones following me from Kyoto?"

"In fact yes. I was told a hanyou mutt was in possession of the shards of the Crimson Jewel of Life. We thought InuYasha had slain a dragon with shards in its neck."

"That dragon was sleighed. I'm the one who killed him and took the shards."

"Those shards, little bitch, belong to me," sneers Koga, "Hand it over and I won't get angry with you."

"Nothing doing. The Crimson Jewel just happens to be a family heirloom and I won't let you have it."

"Koga, can't you just snatch it?" suggests Ginta. "It's there on her belt."

"You morons. Can't you tell by looking?" snaps Koga, "That's nothing more than a ruby gem. She's stashed the shards somewhere else."

"And you expect me to tell you where it is, wolf boy?" sighs Rai.

"If you don't want me to hurt you, you'll tell us now," demands Koga.

"I'm so scared. Why would you hurt a little girl like me?" replies Rai, sarcastically, "As if. What balls you have to try something with me."

"I could cream you. Wouldn't take much," sneers Koga.

"You know what, I'm bored of this pointless argument," sighs Rai, crossing her arms. "I've had a long day. I didn't think I'd finish it off arguing with a punk like you."

"She's right, boys," sighs Sango. "You can argue all night. We women are tired though, what with protecting the village against thugs."

"If we continue this asinine argument here, who knows what unwanted pests would be drawn in? If you want, lets continue this in a better place, like back in the village in the morning."

"I'm not going where that mangy mutt is. No way am I discussing this back there."

"Fine then, your place. Inazuma and I know what you smell like so we can go to your place."

"Fine. We'll talk about this in the morning," grumbles Koga. "Come on, men. Time to split this place." With that Koga zips off through the forest, followed behind by his comrades. Rai watches the wolves leave and sighs deeply.

"Finally peace again. I thought they'd never leave." Rai motions to Inazuma, and walks behind the nearest bush.

"What are you…?" Rai quickly slides her leggings off and sits down.

"If you gotta go, do it now. Inazuma hates it when you wet his back."

"Oh right." Sango shakes her head and sits on the opposite side of the bush.

"So what's this thing Koga was after? You killed this dragon?"

"There was a dragon terrorizing a village to the east of Kyoto. He had these shards my grandfather told me about in a dream."

"He did…oh wow I wouldn't have made it back to the village," replies Sango.

"It happens to me all the time. Sometimes I can't make it out of the hot spring."

"So I was wanting to know, where are these shards you have? Where is it?"

"I guess I can tell you that much. I trust you."

"Yeah, especially now that we shared the same bush for peeing under."

Rai stands back up and pull up her leggings. "You done yet."

"Yeah." Rai offers Sango a hand up.

"I want to tell you in a much safer place. I'm already picking up foul odors from various demons. They are no doubt searching for us."

"And I left my weapons at the house." Sango grabs Rai's hand and stands to her feet. Both women climb onto Inazuma's back and he takes off into the sky.

"The Crimson Jewel of Life has been passed down the family lines for sometime. My father possessed the jewel for quite some time. But it was kept in a secret location, known only to him and Jii-chan. Then when my brother was born, the jewel was smashed and spread throughout this land. It was meant for him to find, but Sesshaku just couldn't."

"Why not? He's hanyou like you."

"He's not as powerful. Sesshaku's more human than demon. He doesn't have the vision to locate the shards."

"You possess the vision; I take it, because you swallowed the heart."

"Hey don't knock it. The power I got from that son of Aun is awesome. Besides he was a dying runt when I met him, and now he's living a normal life inside my body. I gave his life meaning."

"So where's the jewel?"

"It's in my sheath for Hono'osaiga. The purpose of the jewel is to guide the seeker of the Jukon, safe passage through the maze inside the cave in Mount Hiei."

"What sort of maze is it?"

"Deadly and impossible. If you go there, don't be too shocked by the number of corpses aligning the floors of the maze. Various numbers of humans, demons, and hanyous have been killed in this cave. The wrong way can lead to poison gases, falling spikes, crushing walls, etc. Some have made it safely out, only to be driven insane to the point of forced suicide."

"Oh man! This entire cave system that has been under your feet, hearing you say this is making me shiver. Such a dangerous place."

"Don't be surprised if you see the cave itself and the corpses in front that you'd have your stomach turn against you. Several of my peers at the dojo said when they even walked across the mouth; the site and the demonic pressures made them vomit immediately. I've been by there myself. I was fine somehow. Perhaps it's because I'm half human and half demon dog, that I could be untouched by the aura."

Sango gazes down at the village and sees the house in front of the sacred hill. Inazuma spots the house too and descends towards it. InuYasha appears outside of the house, peering up at them. "You two have been gone for quite some time."

"We would have made it back sooner," replies Rai, "But we had to entertain some visitors." Inazuma lands softly and kneels down, letting his passengers off.

"I smelled that pesky Koga close by. Was he this 'visitor'?"

"You catch on quickly. He decided to have a chat with me about some jewel he wanted that was mine. I won the thing fair and square. I told him we'd discuss why he couldn't have it. I've scheduled a meeting tomorrow morning at his home. I know where he lives too."

"I'm coming with you," replies InuYasha.

"Why? I can handle that idiot. I'm going to his cave."

"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. What if you get into trouble?"

"InuYasha, it really won't be necessary," replies Sango, "I watched her talking to Koga. She got him to end the fight."

"I made him stop," Rai whispers to Sango, "Because I was about to pee my pants."

"I noticed that you were standing sort of funny."

"I barely had time. As soon as my ass hit the ground…"


	3. Chapter 3

Rai stands next to Inazuma. "You're staying here, aren't you?" asks InuYasha.

"Kaede offered room for Inazuma and I sleep where he does. Besides you have a lecher here. Can't very well sleep here."

"What's that got to do with anything?" asks InuYasha.

"What are you saying?" replies Sango, "It's not like Miroku's going to try anything."

"It's not like that. I prefer sleeping nude. Inazuma's all the cover I need. His body's so warm that if I have even the thinnest layer of clothing, that'd still be too warm for me. Besides I love the sensation of being naked when I sleep. I feel free from all worldly attachments. All clothing would do is to tie me down."

"I understand her reasons," replies Miroku, emerging from the house, "She wishes to feel the Zen. To be at one with Buddha and nature itself."

"Yeah but, she's naked. I don't like this. Why would you do this?" protests InuYasha, "Don't do this, I demand it. I can't have you sleeping in indecency."

"I'm not asking your permission, Oji(san). I've only told you because I'll be sleeping under the protection of both Inazuma and this temple. I didn't want you thinking I'd be sleeping in the forest."

"Fine, whatever," snuffs InuYasha.

"It's not as though you and Kagome don't sleep like that," Miroku whispers to InuYasha.

"What we do is none of your business."

"But you do have another house here in the village. You use it when you do it."

"Shh, don't blurt it out. Rai doesn't need to know about that."

Rai yawns and beckons Inazuma to follow her. He helps her climb upon his back and flies her up to the top of the stairs. The two reach the grand plateau and see a small floral shrine in the center with stone walkways leading towards it. Rai slides off Inazuma and leads him towards the shrine.

"Kneel before this," Rai whispers to Inazuma. She kneels first, followed by the demon horse. He lowers his head in homage while she prays.

"You've noticed the shrine, my child…children I should say," whispers Kaede.

"We have. We wish whoever owns this, great peace. I have very little to offer this person. Well…" Rai opens a latch on her belt and produces three gold coins. She lays the coins upon the alter.

"My sister, Kikyo, would thank you for this gesture of kindness."

"This shrine is for your sister. So sorry she died. When was that?"

"It was eighty years ago. She shot InuYasha with an arrow then died immediately after."

"Oji(san) was shot. Miroku told me earlier he had such a terrible youth. He was an outcast for being hanyou. Then he was orphaned. He spent his whole life alone."

"He met Kikyo and found out she was the same as him, outcast because she was a powerful miko. By the time their love-life started taking off, Naraku came between them and forced her to shoot him, after fatally wounding her first."

"That's…so sorry. What a painful life. By the time he finds one shimmer of happiness, that gets taken away in death." Rai places her hands upon the shrine. "Why this? Doesn't he deserve a normal happy life? Don't you, Kikyo? One break to be as normal people. A chance to be happy. No loneliness. No endless pain or grief. He deserves better. You deserve better. If only…if only I knew…" Rai starts crying by the shrine.

"Rai, it's okay. She had a second chance. Fifty years later, she was brought back. She had the opportunity to experience truth and closure to her life. She was made aware of who killed her and why. She was able to be with InuYasha until she was able to find peace again. Her spirit is free and she comes to see me, every so often. Perhaps tonight, she'll see you."

"Could she appear in my dreams? I don't want her to see me undressed. It would be…"

"Calm down. She won't care if she sees you preparing for sleep."

"No I mean that's how I sleep. I wear nothing. Inazuma's body keeps me plenty warm."

"Aw so you sleep nude. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, when I was your age, I did that too."

"Oji(san) was throwing such a fit about it."

"Get used to that with InuYasha. His temper is such that if he doesn't understand something, he has a major problem with it. Why do you think your oba(san) makes him sit all the time?"

"Is that because he's hanyou like me? She has to hurt him like that. Will she do that to me, if I accidentally step out of line?"

"No, she couldn't if she wanted to. First of all, you don't pose a threat to the village; you never did. You understand the ways of things. Even if you don't, your temper is such that you see what is unknown to you in a calm, relaxed demeanor. Second reason you won't be made to sit is you don't have the Beads of Subjugation. There is no spell cast upon you, making you victim or cause you to obey someone else."

"I see. So I'm the same as him, and yet not."

Kaede leads Rai and Inazuma towards a large golden temple, surrounding the plateau courtyard. "Wow, this is your home? This wasn't what I was expecting when you invited Inazuma here to sleep at your house."

"This temple was erected not too long after Kikyo's soul was released into her Enlightment. That shrine is the reason this temple is here. It's so she'll know if she wishes to visit, she always has a place to stay."

The main panel doors slide open and Rai proceeds to kneel in front of it. Inazuma does the same, lowering his head.

"You're a well-mannered horse," smiles Kaede, "You know the proper etiquette before entering a holy place like this."

"He does because I taught him the ways."

"Please make yourselves at home. If you need a toilet, there is one out back."

"Thanks, but we're both cleaned out. I myself just had a very large pee back in the forest, less than an hour ago. He's all cleaned out as well. I would like to know where your place is to prepare meals. I wish to make you a breakfast."

"Really? What a generous offer. If you don't mind, InuYasha, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara would join us for that."

"Not at all," smiles Rai, "Cooking just happens to be one of my favorite hobbies. I'm used to cooking for a large group, since it was also my job to prepare meals at the dojo. What sort of meat do you have?"

"Beef, pork, chicken, and fish sometimes. I'd go for beef tomorrow. Smelling that will bring InuYasha up here quicker."

Inazuma scans through the various rooms until he finds one with a large pile of straw. He snorts to Rai. "He's found a nice bed of straw."

"Will he sleep on it or eat it?"

"Sleeping. He hates dry stuff. He will transform the straw into something much softer." Rai follows the sounds of his snorting to the bedchamber. Kaede follows close beside her.

"How will he do that? Thought you said he already peed."

The two walk towards him. Kaede sees a small drifting storm cloud, bellowing out from his feet. "He's a demon that controls thunder and storms. He's got the ability to produce localized rain clouds." Kaede notices the clouds turning gray and feels small droplets of rain pouring out. The rain cloud shifts over the bed of straw, moistening it into a soft, grass-like texture.

"You would think after watching the two of us fight, using fire and lightning, it would cause a forest fire. However after a battle has ended, he gets straight to work making rain clouds over the burning areas."

"It looks like it's coming from his hooves." After a while the clouds dissipate and the once dry straw bed, is turned into a lush green bed. The bedding acts as a soothing cushion, as though all three were in a grand castle. Inazuma tramples down an area and proceeds to lie down.

"I suppose I should get ready." Rai begins to remove her armor, and then continues to shrug off her white top, freeing her breasts from confinement.

"I'll turn in too. I'll be in the next room over."

"Sure? These are paper walls."

"Yes but it's enough to keep you in privacy."

Rai lets her entire outfit drop into a pile on the floor. She kneels down and starts folding her clothes, preparing them for morning. She lies down next to Inazuma, using his stomach as a pillow. Slowly she relaxes her body, and falls asleep.

After sleeping for a while, Rai awakens in her dream, dressed in a soft white kimono. Standing next to her is a young man with long red hair, horse ears and red flowing tail protruding off his back. He too is cloaked in a white kimono.

"So Rai, who are we meeting this time? Is it your grandfather or this miko you and that old woman were mentioning?"

"Jii-chan is calling this one a night. He's interested in what this miko has to say." Rai pans the entire temple. "I don't know if we should wait here or by that shrine for her."

"I've never met her at all. I've only heard rumors about this Kikyo person. I have no knowledge of anything while I was sealed up."

Rai starts floating across the temple, motioning the young man to do the same and follow her. Suddenly both see a white soft glow shimmering from the direction of the shrine. Cautiously both walk towards the light. Then into the room floats the spirit of a young woman with silky black hair and dressed in a white kimono top and a bright red hakama. Both Rai and the man bow before the woman.

"Please, may I speak to you, most gracious miko?" Rai requests, humbling before her.

"I as well. Thousand pardons if I come off sounding rude to you."

"You look like my beloved InuYasha, but judging by your manners and respect for someone like me, you clearly aren't him. You must be Rai. Your grandfather speaks much about you. This gentleman beside you must be this demon horse you've been allying yourself with."

"Madam, I am he. I'm Inazuma, at your service." He gently takes her hold of her hand with his own and prepares to caress it softly with his lips.

"You are well mannered, Inazuma. I used to wish InuYasha was that much of a gentleman."

"Such a fool. To be so ignorant to your power and incomparable beauty, a man would be foolish not to see that."

"Such compliments. I feel so honored by your words, demon horse. You're a wise man with great observations."

"Miko, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I know it must have been difficult," replies Rai.

"Please call me, Kikyo. I've achieved Enlightment so the word miko no longer has meaning for me."

"Sorry ma'am. Though it's hard not to. I have to live by the laws the dojo taught me, especially when addressing someone older or one with great status. You are both. I'm forbidden to address you informally, unless by request."

"Strict conformity. You live by the laws of honor and respect, a true mark of a samurai. You're a complete opposite of your uncle then. He lives by no such laws. Your father isn't that strict either. Then by request, call me Kikyo. Please honor that, if you must."

"I will, Kikyo," complies Rai.

"I shall do that as well, Kikyo," promises Inazuma.

"I noticed earlier you two praying by my shrine. You cried for both InuYasha and I. Besides him and Kaede, no one else has ever done that. Not Kagome, not the villagers. I understand how bitter it would seem to someone who never had a lonely life. You're very lucky, Rai. To grow up with a normal childhood, to see both parents, to know you're never alone. This dojo accepted you, despite you being hanyou."

"It made no difference to my sensei. He raised me and taught me, like a second father. He knew I was powerful like Chichi-ue and actually encouraged me to incorporate my demonic powers into the martial arts training."

"Your power isn't from your sword, but from you instead?"

"I've given the dying son of Aun a new chance at life, in exchange he gave me his heart, fangs and scales. I swallowed the heart and it infused with energy sensors. Then his fangs were infused with one of my top fangs. The scales were with my other fang."

"So you're helping this dragon live and he's giving you power. That sounds like a fair trade."

"Kikyo, I wish there was a way to reverse this pain you went through."

"But there is none. The threads of fate can't be altered. I was in your frame of mine just before my tenth birthday."

"What happened then?"

"My parents were killed by demons. Only my sister and I were left. After their deaths, I had no choice but to raise my infant sister. It was about that same time when I discovered I had spiritual powers."

"So you became a miko."

"It wasn't until my twelfth birthday when I started warding away evil demons with this new ability. I was still an archery apprentice. I was instructed by a dojo master, same as you. I haven't told anyone this, but never chose the role of a miko to begin with. The whole role was forced upon me by this very village. Then I wasn't even looked at the same way again. Once I became a miko, people would either be too scared or too shy to talk to me like a normal person. I wasn't allowed to be human anymore. I almost felt like the very thing I was slaying."

"You should have said things sooner. Instead I was praising you and…"

"You needn't apologize. Rai, I'm touched by your generous heart. My guess is you're the one who gave me the gold."

"I didn't have much else. I couldn't ask Inazuma to fly me somewhere to pick flowers. He was so weary."

"I would have done that for you," he reassures, "I can still fly."

"You flew all day. Our Royal Treat was spoiled by that stupid wolf and his friends."

"Rai, you know better than that," Inazuma chuckles, "You need to go, try doing it before you get in."

"Royal Treat?"

"He found a huge hot spring in the forest just a ways north of here."

"I know that place. Kaede and I used to spend time there. We'd bathe in that hot spring all the time. It was our place to get away from the life of a miko and just pretend to be ordinary village girls. Before she was born, it used to me my mother and me."

"Yeah well here's the thing," Inazuma informs, "We've traveled throughout this great land and have enjoyed hot springs. Sometimes I catch her dozing off in them. Then her whole body totally relaxes…"

"Shh don't tell her that," Rai blushes.

"It's not a crime if you pee in a hot spring," chuckles Kikyo, "I've done that plenty of times. A few times I would use that as an excuse to bathe in one. Doesn't hurt anything."

"I just don't make it a habit."

Rai looks as Kikyo and sees a sad look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, you two talking like this…is having me recall what it was like when I was alive. Not even when my soul was given a false body, did I experience those things. I envied Kagome so much because she's alive and I wasn't. Never again could I enjoy simple pleasures like sleeping on something soft, or eating something sweet. I couldn't enjoy hot spring water against my bare skin or the feel of a man's body against mine."

"You never had…um…" Rai blushes, "Did it?"

"I wish. If I had lived long enough, and InuYasha became my husband…hey I longed for that. Why have you done that?"

"No, of course not," Rai responds.

"You did it once," sighs Inazuma, "We were in Nagasaki, when you got this incredible 'urge for fun'. You went straight into a brothel and applied for a night stay."

"You worked at a brothel for one night?" asks Kikyo.

"I made a little gold that night too."

"So your body isn't…"

"I'm not pure like that. I'm no goddess, just a demon…half-demon. It was just for one night. I was in town. I had just gotten through slaying a pack of demons. That's when the urge to get laid hit me super bad. So I applied for one night at the local brothel and some young stranger gave me gold coins. I asked who he was. I think his name was Shindo. He had reddish-orange hair and some soft furry thing strapped to his waist. He was shy at first. He asked me about my ears, I said I was a demon. I thought he'd be scared of that, but he said he was too. Then we made magic that night."

"How was the sex?" asks Kikyo, giggling to herself.

"Unbelievable. He was such a gentle person, too. He didn't do anything nasty, just…we just…" Rai smiles with a glaze in her eyes.

"What I'd give to know that experience," sighs Kikyo, "To be touched by a man. To be able to enjoy the pleasures of making love. By the time InuYasha and I got our relationship off to a start, Naraku had to go and ruin it."

"So you never had sex with him. What about when you were brought back?"

"By that time, Kagome had him. Besides it would have been a fruitless pleasure. A body made of nothing but clay hardly has the need or desire for it." Kikyo sighs, "You know what, Rai, in all this time, this is the first time I've ever had a talk like this. First time I've sat with another woman and talked about human pleasures. I'm able to feel more like a woman, rather than just a shrine maiden."

"Would you like me to pleasure you?" asks Inazuma, "Even if it's only in this form. If you feel like this…"

"It's fine. Maybe later, Inazuma."

"So Kikyo, I've got to ask you. You were made guardian of this jewel."

"The Shikon no Tama. That's the jewel that changed my life for good."

"Have you ever heard of a jewel called the Crystal Stone of Jukon?"

"Jukon? The jewel that is said to protect all life on this planet. I've heard that the pathway to get to it is extra dangerous. While I was in the false body, my soul collectors stumbled upon a wealth of lost souls lingering around the cave of Mount Hiei. Many demons, humans, and even hanyous lost their lives in that cave. I received souls that were so terrified about what they saw, and about how their bodies were killed the way they were, I felt a strain in my own soul and wept bitterly for them."

"Do you think the demon that craved your jewel, knew about this one as well?"

"Naraku? He might have. But either out of fear or because of his obsession to get the Shikon jewel, he didn't pursue the quest for the Jukon. Or he may have known of the dangers and avoided trying to search for it. If it meant he were to be killed in the process, then avoiding it was his smartest choice."

"There was a demon also after the same jewel this Naraku wanted. Nakuhebi thought by getting his hands on the Shikon jewel, he could simply wish the Jukon from its resting place."

"The demon that controls snakes?" asks Kikyo, "I've heard of him as well. He's from the Nagasaki region, as I recall." "So while Naraku was reigning in the north here, the demon of the south was Nakuhebi. How do you know of Nakuhebi?"

"Jii-chan told me about him. He's been paying close attention to what Nakuhebi is scheming. Right now he's after a jewel, known as the Crimson Jewel of Life. It's a fragment from the Jukon that is supposed to guide seekers of it safely through the maze of caves inside Mount Hiei."

"Kikyo-sama, I wonder sometimes…never mind," Inazuma starts to reply before his mind drifts into nothingness.

"Inazuma, what's on your mind?"

"Just you disapprove of me. I can sense this from you."

"What makes you say that?" asks Kikyo.

"Is my presence here a burden? I'm a demon on these sacred grounds."

"You think I hate you for that?"

"He's concerned for the sake of the villagers. Some people are repulsed because he's a demon horse."

"I'm not repulsed for you to stay here. You don't pose a threat to the town, and you're a great friend to Rai. If Kaede's letting you stay in this temple, then she approves of you. I do as well. You help to ward off evil demons and criminal humans a like. I was watching you warn the villagers about the threat of bandits, two hours before their attack. You saved a bunch of lives and even gave some people chance to prepare to oppose them. For this, I approve of your stay here."

"Thank you, gracious and beautiful Kikyo."

"Rai and Inazuma, dawn's almost upon us and I don't want to overstay my welcome in this world. I would like to meet with you again."

"Understood, Kikyo. My body's calling my soul back anyways."

"Mine as well. Besides I'll need to leave for the forest again."

"The forest? What for? What's there?"

"The usual morning routine," sighs Inazuma, "Plus I want to freshen myself for breakfast. Rai fixes the finest vegetarian meal."

"Hay you mean?"

"Hay, as if," Inazuma shakes his head, sticking out his tongue, "I never eat that disgusting stuff. Vegetable sushi, rice with fresh spinach and snap peas, rice balls with banana leaves."

"Is that every morning?" chuckles Kikyo.

"Just about," confirms Rai, "Though sometimes I like changing up the menu and add carrots in place of snap peas, and wild oats to the rice balls. Don't worry; I fix myself mostly meat menus. He's a horse, so naturally he's a vegetarian. You do like eggs, though. Sometimes he sneaks a strip of pork off my plate."

"I don't do that," denies Inazuma, "A horse eating meat, that's…so…"

"So he's only a horse by appearance?" asks Kikyo, "You sound more human than beast."

"Kaede said there was a toilet here if you need it," sighs Rai, "You don't have to fly so far. I need someone to help me stoke the fire for the stove anyways."

"So you aren't a mere horse. Like I said, you're more human. No horse I know acts like this. You greet me like a gentleman, you eat the same kind of foods as we do, and you respect places like temples and even bow before others of greater stature than yourself. You're a classy individual that enjoys the finer qualities of life as well as allying yourself with the niece of InuYasha."

"And when he needs a toilet, when one's made available…"

"Right, that's even less of a horse-like behavior."

"He does go after young fillies, though."

"Hey, I'm looking for love, same as you. You think you were the only one having sex that night. I made love too. Don't worry, I didn't get her pregnant."

"Rai, I should really get back," laughs Kikyo, "You two have a great morning." Quickly Kikyo vanishes and the two living souls return to their bodies.

Rai starts to open her eyes and sits up from Inazuma's stomach. She stretches and feels him starting to stir.

"Inazuma, what'd you think of her?" He snorts and bellows. "I see. She might help us with the Jukon. Maybe she'd know how to get past Nakuhebi."

Rai begins to dress herself. Inazuma rises to his feet and walks softly towards the front of the temple. He slides the door open, as carefully as he can, then starts searching around the back of the temple.

"You found it. Is it big enough?" He snorts back to her, sniffing the air. "I don't sense anyone. It's just the three of us." Inazuma lifts the wooden lid with his teeth and straddles the wooden square barrel between his back legs.

"Who are you talking to?" asks Kaede, walking around the corner to Rai and Inazuma's room, "Where's your companion?"

"Using the toilet first."

"That's ni…what?" inquests Kaede.

"Just what I said. Your sister even thought he was more human than animal."

"You saw Kikyo. So what did she say? What'd she think of you being here?"

"She's a regular woman, more than she lets on by her appearance. You know she's never gone all the way with InuYasha. They only barely scratched the surface of a relationship."

"And you have?"

"Hey I've got needs. One time, about two months ago, they got to where I couldn't take it. I was in Nagasaki and really was feeling it. Inazuma and I had just fought off a hoard of demons, when the desire for sex got too intense. So I applied for one night of work to the local brothel. My customer, I remember, was a sweet man. He was a demon with a kind boyish face, long red hair, and a little furry thing down his back, felt like either a pouch or tail. He even looked to be about my age."

"Neat. So he was a young guy who fulfilled your needs. You say he was sweet. When I think of the poor whores in those awful places, the guy is a real pig and thinks nothing of the woman he's with."

"I guess I was lucky he wasn't like that. Maybe I fell for him that night. I wouldn't mind seeing him again. Felt like I was making love to a dream. I remember his name too. Shindo, I think. That's what he said when I asked."

"There's a young man in this village who fits that description. Long red hair, fluffy tail, boyish face, and sweet personality."

"I didn't know two exist like that. Though I think I saw him yesterday. Shindo was here in the village."

"His name isn't Shindo, it's Shippo," corrects Kaede, "Come to think of it, he was away down south, two months ago. He was trying to kill of a pack of demons. He was traveling alone. Maybe it was he that you saw that night? When Kagome asked him how the journey was, he clammed up and wouldn't talk. He had this gaze on his face, like he had done something both enjoyable, yet sinful at the same time."

"Shippo. Is that who I fell for? Who I…" Rai walks towards the front panel doors, watching Inazuma return. "Did you dump out the soiled water and…" Inazuma nods his head and offers to escort her.

"Kaede first," asks Rai, "I'm fine for now."

"No you first. You've got to cook breakfast," replies Kaede.

"You think he'll show up. This Shippo," Rai gazes into space with sparkles in her eyes, "What does he like?"

* * *

Back in the village, Shippo sneezes and starts to sit up. "Is someone talking about you?" smiles Kagome.

"I don't know. Perhaps it's cold out this morning."

"It's the middle of spring, almost summer," replies Kagome.

"You were talking in your sleep again," yawns Sango. "You were talking to this young woman."

"She's…Aw can't a guy have a dream about a woman, especially when she's real?"

"A real woman, Shippo? You've met someone?" asks InuYasha, trying to pick crud out of his ears, "You may look all grown up, but what woman would go for a shorty like you?"

"Watch it, InuYasha," Shippo scolds, pointing his finger at InuYasha. "I met her, too. Two months ago, it was. When we met…"

"Shippo has a girlfriend," InuYasha mocks.

"I do not. Leave me alone, would you?"

"I would if you'd get over your cuties for a woman, whom I doubt exists."

"She exists. She's real and she exists. I even saw her yesterday."

"InuYasha, he sounds like he's telling the truth," replies Miroku, "There's no lie in a dream. I can tell by his tone he's in love with this woman. He's not a little kid anymore. Shippo's a man now and perhaps he's found someone, or at least thinks he has."

"That's right. I forget that too," replies Kagome, "Shippo is a man. He's old enough to seriously date women."

"He's still a pipsqueak," snuffs InuYasha.

"InuYasha, oswari," snaps Kagome, making InuYasha crash face first to the ground.

"It's quite alright. He's a dumbass, anyways," sighs Shippo, standing to his feet. He walks out the door and walks to the back of the house. He spots a small brook running from the sacred hill. He kneels down as splashes the cold water on his face. "I know I shouldn't let InuYasha get to me like that. But I can't help it." He stands back up and stares up at the hill. "Kikyo, you'd know this feeling. I know the woman exists. I met her that night in Nagasaki."

He unrolls the waistline of his pants and stands next to a large bush. "I wonder, Kikyo, if I could see her again."

"Whom are you talking to?" asks Miroku, walking towards him.

"N…nobody. I…"

"Come on," assures Miroku, as he opens his robe and stands beside Shippo, "You've been tense for two months now. It's not healthy to hold your feelings back."

"I really met someone, that night in Nagasaki. She didn't just turn me on. She wasn't just attractive. I had a good time with her. But that was…"

"When Rai came through yesterday, you asked about her appearance and you looked like you really wanted to get to know her. Is it possible that's who you met?"

"Rai? No way. That can't be. I'll admit the woman I saw looked like her, but me with Rai? I mean she's a dog. I'm a fox. Would that even work? What would InuYasha say if it was her? The woman I've been thinking about." Shippo starts to shift his body.

"Please watch where you're aiming!" shrieks Miroku.

"Sorry. I'm almost done anyways." Shippo shakes himself off then pulls his pants back over his waist.

"Shippo, are you…what if it does turn out to be Rai? Then what?"

"I don't know. I'll want to see her more. Date her if she wants."

"She's up at the temple now, most likely getting ready for the day. Go see her, Shippo," suggests Miroku, "Maybe before the rest of us."

Shippo nods and starts climbing the steps. "This can't be right. Me with Rai? No way. Can't be." He reaches the top of the hill and walks towards the center of the courtyard. All the while, his head is down and his arms are folded. Just then he bumps head long into the back of Kaede.

"Shippo, please pay attention."

"Sorry Ra…Kaede. I was uh…is she here?"

"Rai's in the temple. She's preparing the breakfast now. Would you like to help her?"

"M…me help her? With w…what?"

"Just go to her. You can smell where she is, can't you?"

"O…of course. I can help her." He walks further on to the temple and enters the left set of sliding doors. He sees her chopping vegetables. Her hair is tied in a tail and she wears an apron over her clothes.

"Kaede, the rice is almost ready. Could you help me shape it into balls?"

"Certainly," replies Shippo.

Rai jerks to the sound of his voice. "Sh…Shippo. What are you doing up here? Breakfast will be a while yet."

"I…Miroku asked me…no I just wanted to come up here. I wanted to see you."

"You wanted to see me? Since I met with Kikyo's spirit last night…not just that. Don't know why I was thinking about you all of a sudden. I told Kikyo I met someone in Nagasaki…"

"Two months ago. So did I. I met a girl. We had such fun that night. She looked to be the same age I was and was simply…"

"…I was there looking to make love. I just wanted to get over the feeling. But I was afraid the one to answer my craving would be scum."

"I wasn't looking for that, but I saw the most beautiful woman. She was more than just beautiful. Smart…never mind…I don't think I should be thinking about her. Not around you, anyways. Especially not before breakfast." He opens the lid of the rice pot and starts shaping the balls.

"You're right. What am I going on about anyways? It's not as if the man I met that night was you. He looked like you, but a lot of people have doubles. Could have been anyone." Rai dips into the rice and spreads it along a piece of dried seaweed wrap. She sticks a whole carrot into the heart of the rice. She rolls the wrap around the carrot and lets the rice set.

"That's my vegetable sushi. Inazuma's vegetarian naturally, so he gets that."

"He's joining us for breakfast?"

"Sure. I mean, he's the one maintaining the fire for the stove."

"I'm delighted he's joining us. I'm only concerned about InuYasha's feelings. He's still unsure about Inazuma."

"Well, he'll just have to get over it. Granted Inazuma can't use chopsticks, but despite that, he's got excellent table manners. He tries to eat as delicately and politely as he can."

"Did you teach him how to behave like that?"

"I didn't have to. He's been like that his whole life. He wants you to think of him more like us. He just looks like a horse and loves fillies."

"So he's looking for love too, like me," sighs Shippo.

"Me too, I guess," sighs Rai, "Love…"

"What would do if you found this man again?"

"Not sure. Maybe date him, I suppose. Make him my boyfriend. Why, would you do that if you found her again?"

"I might. A girlfriend for me." He glances up and meets her eyes. "I could swear you look like her. Your eyes look the same as hers. She was a demon too. Her ears. Her hair. They looked like yours. But…it can't be. Can't be you. Niece of InuYasha." Shippo shakes his head, "Can't be you. That's crazy. For me to…especially when she looks like him. She would have to be…"

"…Hanyou," replies Rai.

"Yeah, a hanyou dog girl. That's what she looked like."

"Shippo, is…your rice balls are getting way too big."

"Oh sorry." He begins to reshape the balls into a smaller size. "I just…what if the woman I met was you. I met an angel that night, felt like that anyways."

"So did I. But his name was Shindo, not…"

"That's what the girl called me. She called me Shindo…I…" Shippo looks into Rai's eyes and gazes longingly at her face. "You are her, aren't you?"

"I…Shippo…" Shippo embraces her with his sticky rice-covered hands. Rai ignores the rice and exchanges embraces with him.

"I thought I'd never see you again. Rai, that night, I was looking for love, but not from a brothel. Why were you in one?"

"I had to find some way to let go of the urge for sex. I wanted satisfy the need. But the only places available satisfy men only. So I volunteered for one night. Then I saw you and you purchased me. You were my only customer too. I didn't have anyone else. I gave the money to the manager then left the next morning. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"So you were just passing through like I was. You wanted to make love, just as bad as I wanted to. Was that your first time?"

Rai sighs, "Was it yours too, Shippo?"

"You're the first woman I've made love with. I wondered if anything would come of that night. Did I…"

"No. I'm not pregnant. I wasn't trying either."

"Good. I was so worried I'd be fathering a child. Not that I never want to. Just not that night. I want to be married first." He holds her and sighs. "So, you want to…um…start."

"Dating, sure."

"You might want to start by taking the meat off the fire," replies Kaede, "So it doesn't burn."

"Right. Meat. Breakfast," Rai grabs a mitt and places the meat onto the serving plates. "How uh…l…l…long were you standing there?"

"I came through when you started hugging each other."

"It…it was nothing," denies Rai, "He was being just friendly. We weren't…"

"What are you nervous about, girl? You met the man you've been obsessing about since you got up. Now he's standing right here."

"I'm in love with her? Rai? InuYasha's niece? But that's…"

"What does it matter who's niece she is? You can't hide your feelings. You love her, Shippo-chan."

"Do I tell someone? InuYasha thinks I'm lying."

"You should know he's oblivious to what's in front of him, especially love between two people. I don't think he'd catch on to this pairing. Besides, Shippo, you aren't a little kid anymore. You're a grown man. Who you fall in love with shouldn't matter to him or anyone. You're in love with this girl, Rai, so you should start seeing her. It sounds like she's happy to find out the guy she met that night was you."

Rai sets up the table and prepares the seating arrangements. Inazuma walks in to watch her set the table. "Inazuma, do you think this guy…I should date him?"

He nods to her. "You think I should sit next to him. Maybe. I want to tell the others. I just don't know what to say though." Rai walks through the main area of the temple and hangs outside the sliding doors. She spots Kagome, Sango, and Miroku praying in front of the shrine. She sees InuYasha walking towards the temple with a pleased look on his face, as though he was being drawn by the aura of the smoked beef.

Rai walks out of the temple and welcomes them. "Pleasant seeing you this morning, Oba(san)," Rai smiles, bowing to her.

"Where's Shippo?" asks Kagome, "After he went outside to pee, he just disappeared."

"He was up here, helping me prepare breakfast."

"That was sweet of him," smiles Sango.

"But does it really take that long to fix breakfast?" asks InuYasha.

"Not really, but…" Rai sighs, trying to force a smile.

"You feeling okay?" asks InuYasha.

"Sure. Never felt…" Rai's voice falls silent.

Kagome looks into her eyes. Rai bites her lip, and then shakes her head violently. "I'm sorry. I'm making you worry. Shippo and I were just preparing breakfast and it's ready. Inazuma was helping me set the table, when I heard you guys outside."

"Rai, can I ask you something?" asks Kagome, "You all go inside. I want to talk to Rai alone."

"Can I stay out here with you?" asks Sango.

"Sure," permits Rai, "I'd like to tell you. I want to do it with the fellas inside."

Kagome waits for the guys to go inside the temple, and then walks over to Rai. "Okay, spill it. I know that look on your face. It's got nothing to do with Shippo helping with breakfast."

"Well you know when he acted like he never saw me before yesterday, he lied. It was in Nagasaki two months ago. Both of us were itching for love, but we were just strangers then. Both travelers who kill demons and we were demons ourselves."

"That's what was eating at him, last night especially," recalls Sango. "He was hunting for this woman."

"And he found the woman," sighs Rai, "Me."

"So now what?" asks Kagome.

"I may be in love with Shippo. If he asks me to be his girlfriend, I'll most likely accept."

"Shippo? You love Shippo?" asks Sango, "Does he love you in return?"

Rai nods and Kagome looks at her, about to burst with excitement. "Ooh how neat!" Kagome shrieks, "I knew something was up with him. I've seen those eyes before. Rai, do you really want to be his woman? For once in his life, he'd finally settle on a woman. Can't wait. Wonder what it'll be like to have you marry him…"

"Oba(san), hang on. I'm not ready for that. I've just found out whom it was I've been thinking about for the past two months. I finally found the man who I met in Nagasaki."

"Sorry, it's just we've known Shippo since he was a little kid," sighs Kagome, "He's not one anymore. He a grown man, able to take care of himself and travel wherever he pleases. He even acts his age."

"Yeah, I've got to remind myself of that," sighs Sango.


	4. Chapter 4

Rai, Sango, and Kagome stroll back towards the temple. The main sliding doors open slightly and Shippo appears in the doorway.

He catches Rai's eyes and both stare at each other. "Shippo, you want something?" asks Kagome.

"Huh…uh…oh breakfast's ready." Rai smiles and winks at him. Shippo's face turns bright red and he saunters back inside.

"What was that look for?" asks Sango.

"He's in love, what else?" chuckles Kagome. The women walk up the steps of the temple and Shippo greets them at the door.

As Kagome and Sango make their way inside, Rai hangs back and escorts Shippo outside, grabbing his hand gently. "Shippo, you want to do this?"

"Rai, I…" He drops to his knees, "I can't stand it any longer. That night was so magical and I want the magic to continue. I can't stop thinking about you. I'm in love with you, Rai. I want to see you always. I want to be in your life. Would you be my woman?"

"Shippo. I…" Rai replies with tears forming in her eyes, "I too want this to last. I've thought of you since that night. That was one of the reasons I came through here. I was following rumors, after describing who you were, that you'd be here in this village. I just had to find you. Shippo, yes I'll accept your offer. I'll be your woman." He embraces her again, holding her tightly. Rai wraps her arms around his torso, holding him as close as she can.

Kagome stands at a distance from the door, but watches Rai and Shippo hugging each other. She watches intently, biting her lip, trying not to squeal.

"Would you get away from that doorway?" orders InuYasha.

"But I…I just…"

"Don't you see?" chimes Miroku, "Shippo's really become a man. He's got a girlfriend now."

"But that's my niece," replies InuYasha.

"He can see whomever he wants," replies Sango, "Besides it's not like you own Rai. She's an independent person."

"That's right," confirms Kagome, "She's more like Sesshomaru than you. You can't tell Rai what to do, any more than you can tell him."

"Rai like Sesshomaru? Ugh, that's just…"

"Only natural she would be, being his daughter and all," assures Miroku.

"Don't remind me," grumbles InuYasha.

"Pay no attention to him," sighs Kagome, "He's just mad because she's chosen Shippo as her boyfriend. Both of them are more mature than we were."

"He's not mature. He's still…" pouts InuYasha.

"Oblivious as usual," sighs Sango, "Shippo has grown up. He's as mature as he appears. He doesn't cry over little annoyances and he's wised up to his ways."

"After thirty years, you'd expect anyone to grow up and mature," agrees Kagome, "Just as we've matured, so has he. Now he behaves like an ordinary grown man. I know it's no act either."

"He's a man. There's no mistake of that," replies Miroku, "When we were talking earlier about finding this woman, who turns out to be Rai, he was acting like any man would when he's in love."

Shippo loosens his grip of Rai and the two hold hands. They walk through the doorway to their anxious friends.

"So what happened?" asks Kagome, nearly tying herself in knots.

"I've got an announcement, guys," alerts Shippo, "Rai is my woman now. We're going to be together." Rai holds her new boyfriend around his waist in a side squeeze.

"So it's official now," sighs Kagome in dreamy delight, "It just doesn't seem real, Shippo."

"Get used to it," smiles Shippo, "At least now I don't feel so anxious anymore. I've found her. I don't know if you believe in destiny or not, but I feel Buddha must have had his eyes on this and wasn't going to let this slip by. It has to be destiny that had us meet in Nagasaki."

"I don't know about destiny, but I felt like someone was pointing me in this direction. Maybe it was Buddha, or Jii-chan. Jii-chan and I talk every night, or just about. Maybe he was arranging us to meet like we did."

"My father's involved?" asks InuYasha.

"It's possible," replies Miroku, "Spirits of strong individuals have been known to make things happen. As powerful as your father was, influencing people's hearts would be something he could do. Perhaps it was Inu no Taisho who saw to arranging this relationship. He was interested in his granddaughter's happiness."

"InuYasha, wasn't that how you were with Kikyo?" asks Kaede, walking into the room, "When you were in love like, you cared about nothing else." "So, I see everyone here. Inazuma will be in shortly; he's cleansing himself in the stream out back."

"No surprise," smirks Rai, "He loves being clean."

"Rai, since you're Shippo's woman now, you sit next to him. I've put Inazuma at the end here, as big as he is."

"That stupid horse is eating with us?" shrieks InuYasha.

"He's a welcomed guest, InuYasha. Please be polite," scolds Kaede.

"InuYasha, I will not have you talk that way about Rai's friend," snaps Shippo, "He's welcomed to stay here."

"You have some nerve, Shippo," growls InuYasha, "You've only been her boyfriend for five minutes. That's not enough time to bond with her."

Shippo closes his eyes then snuffs at InuYasha.

"It's not worth it, Shippo," Rai sighs, trying to calm him down.

"I know it's not worth arguing with InuYasha," Shippo sighs, "I just don't like anyone insulting you or any friend of yours. Inazuma is my friend too, don't forget." He winks at Rai. "Isn't that true, Inazuma?" he asks, feeling the demon horse's presence enter the room. Inazuma walks over and hangs his head over Shippo's shoulders.

"So, I've taken it you've heard about Shippo and me." Inazuma smiles and snorts in delight. Rai bursts out in laughter at Inazuma.

"What did he say?" asks Sango.

"He says now that you've found your lover, find me one too."

The group bursts out laughing. "Tell him it's going to be difficult, especially when he's such a womanizer," chuckles Sango.

"Yeah…hey, what's that supposed to mean?" replies Miroku.

"Like you need to ask," smirks Sango.

Rai points out Inazuma's spot at the table, and he gracefully sits, tucking his legs under his body. "You're giving Inazuma an omelet?" asks Kagome, sitting herself beside InuYasha.

"He's a natural-born vegetarian, but he's not strict. He likes eggs and a small sliver of meat."

"I've never heard of a horse eating meat," replies Sango, "Of course I've never been friends with a demon horse," she shrugs. "It's probably where he gets the energy to pull off lightning attacks."

"Plus he's a genius even by human standards," points out Rai, "Eggs and meat are the foods for fueling the brain."

"You see, InuYasha, he's not as stupid as you thought," rebukes Shippo, "He's a lot like Kirara."

"Where is she?" asks Rai.

"She's back at the house," sighs Sango, "She's in heat now and there's a male nekomata in the area."

"You just let her stay back?" asks Kagome.

"She acted like she wanted him to find her. I think she wants to get pregnant."

"Aw, so there will be kittens in the near future," smiles Kagome.

"Will she be able to fight still?" asks InuYasha.

"Of course not," sighs Kagome.

"You can borrow Inazuma," suggests Rai, "He says he'll help."

"No, I'll just ask Hachi," suggests Miroku.

"Thanks but you know Kirara; she can't just sit still for eight weeks," explains Sango, "I'm flattered for your help, but it's not as if she hasn't been pregnant before. She's fought during her last pregnancy, and her babies turned out fine."

"Rai, did you make this omelet?" asks Sango.

"I've diced sweet onions and pieces of beef into it."

"This is so flavorful," chimes Sango.

"You think that's something," chimes Miroku. "She's added flavor to the rice. Tastes like fruit?"

"It's cherry juice. I was just experimenting. I noticed Kaede had a cherry bush on her land, so I picked ripe cherries and squished them into a juice."

"Where did you get cherries?" asks Sango.

"I gave her a few packets of cherry seeds," admits Kagome, "I bought them when I went shopping for them last fall."

"I just like lots of flavor with food. The juice was so sweet I wanted to use it somewhere in this menu. Rice is such an everyday flavor, tasting it can get old. So I change the flavor."

"How did you learn to cook like this? Where do you learn this?" asks Sango.

"Mount Hiei is located near Kyoto. Kyoto's a port city with all sorts of foreign goods for sale. I've bought stuff with the allowance my sensei used to give me to use in various recipes. Cooking to me is a hobby and an art. Just as an artist uses paint to express his view and desires of the world around him, I use flavor in the foods I make. They paint a sense of wonder and enjoyment. I rarely paint the same picture twice. I'm always experimenting with flavor. What flavors that are pleasing I keep, ones that aren't I discard."

"You ought to give Kagome here pointers," snips InuYasha.

"I'm not going to say it now, since it'll ruin Rai's food, but just you wait until after breakfast."

"I can't wait to enjoy your cooking skills everyday," chimes Shippo. "To be the man to enjoy this…"

"For you, I'll make dessert," she whispers into his ears. His eyes widen with his mouth wrapped around the end of his chopsticks.

Inazuma pretends to ignore her and delicately grabs a piece of vegetable sushi with his teeth. Kaede watches him intently. "I guess that's what you do when you can't use chopsticks, Inazuma." Inazuma nods humbly. He shrugs his shoulders and grabs another piece of sushi with his teeth.

"Such manners. He's almost human," comments Sango.

"You've got that right," agrees Kagome, "I've never met a horse quite like this. Not even Entei was this well mannered."

"I'll say. He can even use…" Inazuma snorts at Kaede, "Sorry, but I've never met a horse with such discreet manners."

"Inazuma, don't be so embarrassed acting," chuckles Rai. "When ever we're traveling, and we happen upon a castle or temple, if he needs to go, he'll search for where a toilet is and uses it. He's even asked me to stand guard with him, so nobody sees. I usually put up a barrier for extra protection."

"How strange for a horse, and yet…" Sango pauses and sips her tea, "Again this is what Kirara is like. She acts the same way when nature calls."

"I don't see why all of you are getting so intrigued by this annoying beast. He's just a horse. He's no different than what we have in the stables in the village."

"InuYasha!" screams Kagome, "Why you…"

"That's enough!" thunders Shippo slamming his hands on the table, "What did I say about insulting Rai's friend? Nobody should be talked down like that, especially by someone like you."

"Shippo, don't," sighs Rai.

"No. I won't have either your name or his tarnished. I'm not going to back down from this. He's my friend too and I will not have him be put down like that."

"Shippo," sighs Sango. 'You really have grown up. It's true.'

'He's standing up for the woman he loves,' thinks Kagome, 'There's nothing I can protect him against anymore. He protects himself and those he cares about.'

Shippo excuses himself and stands up from the table. He storms towards the door, with Rai following him close beside him. He leaps off the porch and paces the courtyard. "Please calm down."

"I'm trying to. I'm trying not to lose it. I just want…" Rai stops in his path and embraces him with her arms.

"Thank you, Shippo. Thanks for standing up for Inazuma and for me." He hesitates at first, holding his clawed hands over her shoulders. Then he wraps his arms around her body, holding her head against his shoulder.

"Rai, thank you as well. For accepting to be my woman. For letting that night we first met be the starting point of this love."

"Shippo, I just…" she looks straight into his eyes. Tears start to form into hers. She sighs, trying to keep from crying.

"What's the matter? Are you crying?"

"I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm just happy to be with you." Shippo's lips start closing in on hers. "Being t…to…ge…" Her voice is cut off with a soft kiss. "Sh…Shippo, just l…like th…" she tries to speak but quickly becomes interrupted by a long continuous kiss.

Kagome peeks out at them, from behind the door. "Kagome, what are you…?" InuYasha starts to ask.

"Shh. I don't want them disturbed."

"Then don't watch them," suggests InuYasha.

Kagome walks back, reluctantly to the table and starts clearing the dishes. "I'll help you," offers Sango.

"What are you doing? Rai's the cook. She should…" InuYasha grumbles.

"She went through all the trouble of making this delicious meal for us, it's the very least we can do," replies Sango.

"Yeah besides, Rai and Shippo need time to themselves. You can't very well ask Shippo to break away from his new girlfriend."

"He'll have to eventually. If you won't, then I'll go out there and break this up now. Besides he's got a lot of nerve yelling at me like he's all tough." InuYasha stands up and starts to march towards the door.

"Oswari!" shouts Kagome, jerking him to the ground face first. "You're not going out there." He starts to get up, when she shouts oswari again.

"Would you stop that?" InuYasha moans.

"Not until you promise you won't bug them ever. Oswari!"

"InuYasha, you've had this coming," replies Sango, "You keep denying Shippo's manhood. He's been a man for the last twenty-five years. We just haven't seen him in a long time. The last time was for a short while when Rai was three, before she joined the dojo at Mount Hiei."

"It doesn't matter. Shippo's still just a brat."

"Not anymore," rebukes Kagome, "Now the only immature brat there is, is you, InuYasha."

Rai suddenly breaks from the kiss and sniffs the air. "Something's very wrong."

"Yeah, I sense it too. My fur's beginning to stand."

Rai races inside and grabs her armor and swords.

"What's the matter?" asks InuYasha, with a sneer.

"There's an aura outside," replies Miroku. "I feel it approaching overhead." Inazuma races outside, heading back down to the house, almost running into a transformed Kirara.

"Are you going to grab his saddle and bridle?" asks Sango.

"I won't. He's flying down now and dressing himself." Inazuma flies back up to the courtyard, fully harnessed and waits for Rai.

"You're coming too, aren't you Shippo?" He nods and hops onto Inazuma's back. Rai races out and leaps into the saddle. Immediately, Inazuma darts into the air and flies through the sky.

Shippo looks out and sees flying serpents. "These things again?"

"It's Nakuhebi. He's after shards of the Crimson Jewel. He's searching all over these lands, looking for it. He uses these serpents to do the searching for him."

"So he's a lot like Naraku. Was he allies with Naraku?"

"Hardly, more like a bitter enemy. He saw Naraku as a nuisance. Nakuhebi wanted that jewel Naraku was obsessed with to wish the Crystal Stone of Jukon out of its resting place. Otherwise the path to search for it is almost hopeless and extremely deadly."

"Then why is he obsessed with this Crimson Jewel?"

"The Crimson Jewel of Life can at least guide you safely to where the Jukon is."

"What are you trying to do?" asks Shippo.

"Trying to prevent the Jukon's removal. The Jukon is the jewel for all living things. If it were removed, the Earth would die. Nakuhebi wants to fill the world full of demons and destroy all mortal life."

"That sounds like what Naraku wanted." Shippo watches the direction of the serpents' flight. He glances ahead further towards a range of mountains with a series of gray storm clouds lingering across the peaks. "It's Raimei Valley. Inazuma, take us there." He snorts at Shippo's command and flies towards the high plateau.

Suddenly a blast of lighting is jolted in their direction. Inazuma zips out of the way of the blast.

"That came from…" Rai starts to speak.

"Souten. She's in trouble." Shippo leaps off and flies down towards the plateau. Rai sees a woman standing in the middle of the courtyard. She looks at Shippo with bright red eyes with the wind from the mountains comb through her long black hair. She's dressed in red upper-body armor with black pants and kimono top.

"Inazuma, please fly to her," Rai commands. Inazuma snorts and lands in the courtyard beside her.

"Thank goodness you're here, Shippo. Who's this? She looks like InuYasha."

"I'm his niece, Rai. This horse is…"

"I know who he is. He's the thunder horse, Inazuma. I recognize him from the elders' descriptions of him."

"What's going on? If you recognized us, then…" Shippo starts to speak.

"Those serpents are plaguing this area. What's their deal? Their unwelcomed presence is stirring up the other lowlife demons in this region."

"They're searching for shards of the Crimson Jewel of Life. Do you have one, Souten?"

"I found some sort of red crystal. I thought the Shikon Jewel had returned, but I know it's been gone forever." She starts to unhinge one of the breast cups of her armor.

"Don't take it out!" shrieks Shippo. "If they're looking for it, they'll most certainly steal it from you, maybe even killing you in the process."

"It's too late," sneers Rai, unsheathing her Hono'osaiga. Inazuma snorts in anger and flies up, gaining an aerial advantage.

The first wave of attack immediately swerves in through the twenty-foot tall sacred archway. A serpent flies in approaching Shippo with its mouth open. Shippo quickly dodges out of the way of the fangs and blasts it from behind with a massive fireball attack, burning the serpent upon impact. Another serpent swerves in place of the one Shippo killed, but is blasted immediately by Inazuma's lightning.

Rai watches a gang of serpents fly around the mountain peaks, preparing for a direct ambush. Rai calls out Hi no Kizu in her mind and quickly ignites her sword. Before waiting for the serpents to strike, she sniffs them out and slices her sword through the gang, incinerating them immediately to ashes.

Serpents surround Shippo and fly at him. He quickly ignites his hands with Fox Fire and flings whole nets of flames over the bodies of the enemies.

He steps back, bumping into the back of Rai. "There's so many of these things."

"Doesn't matter. Show no mercy to them. If you get tired, just whistle. Inazuma will assist you."

"Me tired? Not after that breakfast. I've got enough energy to last out the week if I have to."

"Just protect Souten. She's carrying a hot item and it mustn't fall into their hands."

Suddenly Rai catches the glowing eyes of a menacing hoard of demons surrounding the small group of fighters.

"Rai, I'll take care of the riff raff," sneers Souten.

"Right, Inazuma. Help Souten take care of the marauders. Shippo and I can handle the serpents." The thunder horse snorts and backs up Souten. "Souten, be very careful you don't get bitten. They've got a slow-killing venom that no medicine can cure. You'll die in agony."

"Thanks for the warning," replies Souten, charging up her thunder pike.

"Where's Couryu?" asks Shippo.

"He's the cloud surrounding this mountain. He's trying to erect a lightning barrier." She looks to the sky. "Couryu! We need more help here. Please seek reinforcements."

The cloud transforms into a large serpent-like dragon. He immediately jets out eastward towards Edo.

"Shippo, you ready?" shouts Rai.

"Always," he growls back to her. "I've got a trick nobody has seen yet, not even InuYasha."

Rai covers for him, wielding her flame sword against the serpents. Shippo's claws lengthen as he plants his hands on the ground. A pillar of Fox Fire suddenly engulfs his body and instantly he's transformed into large red fox with four fluffy tails protruding off the back of him. He flies up in a rush, spreading fire across the bodies of the serpents.

"So this is your power. Animal transformation."

"Yes, affective isn't it?" He charges out, attacking the serpents with his fangs, sending fire throughout their bodies.

Rai strikes out, slashing her sword against the serpents. More serpents arrive, taking the places of their fallen comrades. Rai starts to aim her sword, when suddenly she feels a strong sudden brush of the Kaze no Kizu behind her. She turns immediately around and sees InuYasha standing in front of her.

"Oji(san), where did you come from?" she replies in disbelief.

"InuYasha?" Shippo growls in surprise, while still in animal form.

"Can't very well let you two have all the fun," he smiles, "Shippo, is that a new trick?"

"I was trying to kill off these serpents. This form is the most effective for me."

"H…how long have…Shippo, we've got no time for this," redirects Rai, "Souten is still in danger. She needs our…"

"…She'll be fine. Sango and Kagome are helping her."

"Then we'll stay here. Are you still able to fight, Shippo?"

"Do you need to ask?" he smirks. Shippo charges after a serpent, grabbing its neck in his jaws. He shakes the serpent violently, before severing its windpipe with his fangs. Promptly after killing it, he strikes out at another serpent, delivering the same fatal attack.

"Shippo," smirks InuYasha with an evil grin, "I take back what I said about you being a pipsqueak. You have gotten better since our last meeting."

"What did you expect?" Shippo smirks, licking the serpents' blood off his fangs, "I can't stay stunted forever." He spits the blood out and braces for another assault.

Meanwhile, Souten wields her thunder pike, showering the intruding demons with lightning bolts. Inazuma flies towards a gang of pig-headed snakes, blowing lightning from his mouth.

"Souten, it's been along time since we met last," comments Kagome, shooting at a demon with her arrow, "You've even gained lightning abilities."

"Naturally, I was just a child since our last meeting. But I've been training on the continent since then."

"On the continent? What's there?" asks Kagome.

"The rest of the Thunder Demon Tribe. They've been living in China ever since Hiten and Manten reigned this land. They only made it appear they were extinct, so those two idiots wouldn't discover them."

"So more exist," confirms Sango, flying in on Kirara, "How did you say you know Inazuma though?"

"He was raised on these mountains. Sure he's Entei's little brother, but he chose to live a separate life from Entei. He came to us when he was just a colt. He wished to know our ways and fighting skills. Since he posed no threat, the elders didn't object. Instead they honored his request and trained him. How does Rai know him though?"

"Her father sent him to her, while she was training at Mount Hiei. He's been by her side since."

"Her father broke the seal that was set on him? That was a strong spell. How is InuYasha that strong?"

"Her father is his older brother, Sesshomaru," corrects Kagome.

"S…Sess…ho…maru? That evil demon is her father? Impossible!"

"He married the human girl, Rin, when she came of age, and they have two children, Sesshaku and Rai. I've heard Sesshaku has his place on the continent and is a bomb expert. Rai is however a sword master like Sesshomaru. She's a trained samurai, even," explains Kagome.

"I see. That would explain her fighting skills," replies Souten, as she shoots down a hoard of demons with her lightning attacks, "I've seen those abilities in human samurai men. She even fights like a man in battle." Souten watches Rai twist around in midair with blinding speed, killing demons from all around her.

Rai removes the second sword for more advantage and creates a flaming twister, slicing ferociously with her flames.

"Why is Shippo fighting beside this Rai?"

"Because these two are together. They just declared it this morning," sighs Kagome.

"He's seeing Rai? So my childhood crush has a woman now. Not that I'm one to be jealous. I've got someone too."

"Really? You've got a boyfriend?" asks Kagome.

"Not a boyfriend," Souten corrects, "I'm married. My husband is in the northeast. He's training our two sons."

"So you've met a young thunder demon. You've ensured the future for the Thunder Demons," sighs Kagome, "Do you think they'll turn out like Hiten and Manten?"

"Hell no. I could never stand those guys. Raiten is a sweet man and would never let our sons fall into idiocy the way those two did."

"You hate them, but you used to detest InuYasha for killing them off."

"That was then. Times change, and so do opinions."

InuYasha growls, as more serpents continue their assault. "Why won't this end? How many do we have to kill?"

A sudden jolt blinks quickly in Rai's mind. "Attention! Anyone without a dragon's heart in their bodies back away a hundred feet away from here. Do it now!"

Inazuma quickly lands in front of Kagome and Souten and flies both girls off to safety. Shippo grabs hold of InuYasha and flies away from the center.

"Aw, these fools. They left this girl all alone," hisses one of the serpents.

"Rip her to shreds," grumbles another.

"Rai! You scum better not lay your disgusting…" InuYasha starts to growl, starting to rush back in.

Shippo holds his kimono back with his teeth. "It may seem that she's outnumbered, but then how come she looks so confident?"

"Will she be all right?" asks Kagome.

"I see what she's planning," replies Souten, "Her best strength is to destroy enemies all at once."

"Kagome, we've seen this too," comments Sango, "Talk about a daddy's girl. Sesshomaru can kill his enemies in one blow."

Rai resheathes her Naosusaiga and stabs the Hono'osaiga into the ground. She grasps the top of the handle and starts to pray. She closes her eyes and exhales once quickly out her nose. "Hono'o Hi En Korosu!" she chants, "Zetsumetsu no Jigoku!" Suddenly a massive ball of fire blasts out in all directions, incinerating every demon within the hundred-foot radius. No lives are spared in the blast, except for Rai's, who stands in the dead center.

She stares straight up into the sky with a calm yet evil gleam in her eyes. InuYasha blinks his eyes, looking into her eyes. 'Rai, that look. You look exactly like Sesshomaru. You wear the same expression he does after a huge massacre of demons.'

"This is the woman I love. Sesshomaru's daughter," sighs Shippo, "Her eyes are just as cold as his in battle."

Rai removes the flame sword from the ground cautiously, making sure all the demons were burned to ashes. She resheathes the sword and swings out the Naosusaiga blade, creating a cooling breeze. The breeze blows out, restoring life to the torched land.

Shippo flies back in first, transforming back into his demon form. "Rai? That was awesome."

Rai watches Inazuma land and approaches Souten with her hand out. "Hand it over now!" she demands.

"What? Is that the way to talk to the woman you rescued?" scolds Kagome.

"Why should I hand it over?" protests Souten, "I found it when I sleighed a demon. It's my treasure."

"Souten, that thing is too hot to hold onto. You think Nakuhebi has given up because we've defeated his serpents? You're naïve to think like that. He'll come after it and kill you if he has to, to get it."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Hono'osaiga's sheath is the safest place. I've already got shards of the Crimson Jewel stashed."

"Won't they be disturbed when you draw your sword?" asks InuYasha.

"No. Once they go in the sheath, they adhere inside, almost becoming part of the sheath itself."

"I can see them in there," Kagome points out. "You've got at least ten red shards."

"You've got an awesome power. Are you a miko, Oba(san)?"

"Very perceptive, Rai. I've been one since I was 15."

"You don't dress like a miko, but I figure you have your reasons. My guess is to disguise the appearance, pretending to be an ordinary woman."

"You just got that from looking at her?" asks InuYasha.

"InuYasha, that's how samurai think," informs Sango, "They see things ten steps of their own eyes and guess things with accuracy."

"I can also read a person's mind and see the soul for what it is. Because of this, I'm able to see Jii-chan's spirit as well as the woman Inazuma and I saw last night."

"Last night at the temple? You don't mean?" InuYasha shrieks.

"Kikyo's more of a regular woman than what you might think, Oji(san). We talked all night about all sorts of things. She opened up to me about her youth and her life before becoming a powerful miko. Did you know she raised Kaede since she was a baby, after their parents died?"

"She never told me that," replies InuYasha, "She never told me anything about her past. By the time I met her, she was already a miko."

"She said if she had lived longer, she'd accept you for a husband. She was prepared to go all the way."

"I never…I know she said that, but…" Kagome starts to look glum.

"Would you have really done that? Would you have married her if she lived?"

"I suppose, but it's too late. I've let go of that."

"Have you, Oji(san)? The woman I saw, I thought it was Oba(san) at first. Kikyo looks like her identical sister. More than that, she is the same woman. You have the exact same soul, Oba(san)."

"Rai, you shouldn't say such things," scolds Shippo.

"Leave her be. What she says is true," sighs Kagome, "I'd rather hear an honest opinion than a lie. It hurts to hear it, but I'm not a kid anymore. I can't hide Kikyo's soul at all anymore. I'm becoming more like her all the time. Rai's perceptions are right on the money. She's so much like Sesshomaru, that it's eerie. It's like I'm hearing this from him."

Rai holds out her hands and Souten reluctantly opens her breastplate of her armor. She pours a pile of red shards into Rai's cupped hands.

"You had that many shards?" asks Sango. "That's like fifteen."

"Actually there's only five in this pile," corrects Rai.

"But I've found all of them," replies Souten, "Your math is way off. Sango's right."

"Oba(san), can you spot them? The way to tell is look past the luster."

"There are five dull stones in this pile," observes Kagome.

"They're dull because they are away from the Jukon," informs Rai. "If you were standing at the mouth of the cave at the base of Mount Hiei, the shards will glow brighter than the sun. The two stones resonate off of each other." Rai picks up the five dull stones and slides them into Hono'osaiga's sheath.

"What do you do with the shiny ones? Just throw them away?" asks InuYasha.

"Sometimes. I leave them to the mercy of low-class demons. Or what I'll do is sell them."

"You sell them? To whom?" InuYasha asks.

"How do think I don't starve to death?" She smirks, faking twinkles in her eyes, "Oh honey, could you please buy me these rubies? What a magnificent red jewel! I've always wanted you to buy me something so pretty." "Sure, anything for you, my queen," replies Rai, in a faked male voice. Shippo chuckles at her various impressions. "You know, something like that."

"Will Nakuhebi come after them?" asks Kagome.

"He's not interested in useless jewel shards. The ones that look the most beautiful have no power. They're like ordinary rubies. A human appraiser would think what he's looking at is a genuine ruby or red diamond. I've sold these in Kyoto and made a killing. But since I'm a wanderer, I just use the money to boost the local economy and to fund local temples."

"Miroku could learn a thing or two from you, Rai," sighs Sango, "He's always looking to get rich off of others."

Rai splits the remaining shards among the group. She gives two shards to InuYasha. "I recommend you pawn these off back in the village tonight. Maybe take Oba(san) out for Ramen," Rai suggests.

"Take her out?"

"It'd be a good idea," suggests Sango, "Treat her, since she just lost her grandfather."

"A better idea would be in my town," suggests Kagome, "They'd fetch a much higher price back home in Tokyo."

"Can I have a few jewel shards?" asks Shippo. "I want to take you out tonight."

"Aw. Shippo's first date," chimes Kagome.

"Quit that. It's embarrassing," he laughs, scratching the back of his head with his finger claws.

"If you take me to a different town tonight. That way the jewel shards can be dispersed. That way it makes them that much harder to find."

"I get it," chimes Sango, "There's an inn with a huge hot spring. I've been urging Miroku to come with me for some time."

"Can I have one?" asks Souten. "There's a village not too far from here that serves the best curry. I'll treat Couryu and myself tonight."

"What about the last three shards?" asks Kagome.

"Perhaps you can put them on your grandfather's grave," suggests Rai. "Or you could pawn them and buy him a bouquet of flowers with the money."

"Really?" sighs Kagome.

"I've got some gold with me, perhaps I can buy something for him."

"For Jii-chan? But you don't know him, do you?"

"No but I know what it is to be the granddaughter of a beloved man. I'm visited by my Jii-chan every night."

"Really? You get to talk to him? You don't ever…" Rai embraces Kagome, holding her tightly. Kagome starts sobbing in Rai's arms. Rai strokes her claws through Kagome's long flowing hair. Sango steps forward and rubs her best friend's back.

"I never knew my parents or grandparents," sighs Souten. "I've been alone with Couryu for my whole life. I raised him from when he was just a hatchling."

"I'm an orphan too," sighs Shippo, "But I know what Kagome's going through." He rubs Rai's back, motioning to embrace Kagome in her place. Rai hands her over and Shippo holds her gently in his arms. He closes his eyes, reflecting back to his childhood when she held him like this.

"Your warmth feels good," replies Kagome, through her tears, "Shippo, when did you become the one to hold me?"

"Nothing changes," sighs InuYasha, "With the exceptions of overall maturity and powers, Shippo is how he's always been."

Kagome slowly pulls away from Shippo's embrace and wipes off her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry I'm making you sad," apologizes Rai, "I don't mean to open such a wounded heart."

"No need to be sorry. I just miss Jii-chan."

"You're a powerful miko. Don't you have the ability to see the dead or at least speak to them? You must know the death of a person doesn't mean their soul is lost. If your grandfather is a very strong-willed highly spiritual man, then he should have no problems talking to you. Your dreams are the best places to listen to the departed ones. That's when your body is at rest, giving your soul freedom to see what mortal eyes can't."

"You sound like you speak from experience," comments Sango, "If only Miroku could hear you now."

"Where is he? I missed him in this battle," wonders Rai.

"He stayed back in the village in case those serpents attack it while we're away. Besides Kaede's getting on in years and he wanted to stay to help her out."

"I want to talk about the origins of the Jukon and I want him present to hear it," requests Rai, "However it must be discussed in a location isolated from the rest of the world. Nakuhebi could have spies lurking everywhere and I don't want any of them to know secrets."

"There is a secret chamber in the temple," informs Sango.

"Let's go back now," suggests Rai.

"Aren't you meeting with Koga this morning?" asks Sango.

"He can just wait. It was rude of him to barge in on our bath, so why should I show him any politeness?"

Rai bows to Souten, saying sayonara to her, signaling to Inazuma. Inazuma trots toward Rai and both she and Shippo leap on his back. Kagome climbs on the back of Kirara with Sango. Inazuma launches into the air first, followed by Kirara. InuYasha takes off after the two demonic animals.

"Rai, why is it you told Kagome such hurtful things?"

"You'd rather I lie to her only to make her feel good? That's just something I don't do. It would hurt worse to hear a lie, and then my integrity would by compromised."

"I see. So you're naturally an honest individual. I should be grateful for that value in you. I met a girl once just the opposite of you. She'd lie all the time. It got to the point I detested her and wanted nothing to do with her."

"Sorry if I talked about Kikyo. I didn't know talking about her was such a sore subject."

"Kikyo was a part of InuYasha's life. She reappeared thirty years ago and at times came between Kagome and InuYasha. You were close in saying she's related to Kagome. Kagome's the reincarnation of Kikyo. That's why they seem like twins."

Rai sighs, looking down at Inazuma's mane. "I didn't mean to upset her about an old love rival, especially now when she has to deal with her grandfather's death. I feel like I made her feel worse." Rai's tears drop onto Inazuma's neck. "I'm so ashamed of myself."

"Why? You've done nothing wrong. You know very little about us and it's understandable you don't know anything about stuff that happened ten years before you were born."

"Jii-chan has been filling me in, so has Chichi-ue."

"It's awesome you've got your grandfather to talk to. He's dead, but that's only a small detail for you. Equally neat is Sesshomaru's in your life as well. I wish I had that. I miss both my parents; both died when I was just a small child. Kagome and I met shortly after I lost Chichi-ue. Those two Thunder Demons, Hiten and Manten, were the ones who killed him, too."

"Sorry to hear that, Shippo. If you want, you can meet me in the dream world and I can ask for him to come."

"You've got that ability? Clairvoyance?" asks Shippo.

"It just comes naturally to me. When I fall asleep, my body releases my soul temporarily. I'm still alive. A spirit barrier falls in place of my soul, repelling all evil spirits wanting to possess my body. Then the dragon's heart adds even more protection. In my spiritual body, I'm able to talk to the souls of the dead. I can also visit someone else in their dreams, acting as a medium."

"That's amazing," replies Shippo. "I've only met one person in my life able to do something like that."

"Chichi-ue and Jii-chan."

"Naturally I would think your grandfather did that when he was alive. But Sesshomaru's good like that. He's able to call upon souls of the dead."

Inazuma lands softly in front of the temple. Miroku sits on the steps, watching them arrive.

"How did the fight go?"

"It's over for now, but don't count on this being a defeat for Nakuhebi. As long as he's searching for the Crimson Jewel of Life, battles like that will continue. He'll do what it takes to get his hands on all the shards."

"This is Naraku all over again," sneers Miroku. "He's been dead for thirty years, but he's still at it."

"No, Nakuhebi is his bitter rival. Besides the pursuit for the legendary Shikon was Naraku's only obsession. Nakuhebi's interested in the Jukon and the Crimson Jewel is the key that leads to the Jukon's resting place."

Kirara lands in the courtyard, followed close behind by InuYasha. "Everyone's here," replies Rai, "Could we meet in this secret room, Sango?"

"Follow me," instructs Miroku. Shippo and Rai dismount Inazuma and all three start following Miroku. Sango and Kagome dismount Kirara as the nekomata reverts back to her kitten form.

Miroku leads the group into a spacious room with straw and gravel on the sunken floor. The walls are lined with sacred sutras. Pillowed seating lined the room, forming steps for the sunken floor. Lamps are lit, providing lighting for the room.

"Oh folks," Rai speaks abruptly, "in case any of you has to pee or something, do it now."

"Why's that?" asks InuYasha, "I'm fine."

"You sure? We just had green tea for breakfast. What I'm about to do is put a lot of you to sleep so we can actually go to the cave."

"I thought you said that was a dangerous place," inquires Miroku with a confused expression.

"In your mortal bodies it would be, but spirits can't be harmed. I also know the way through it the cave. Jii-chan has shown me on numerous cases."

"My father knows the way?" asks InuYasha.

"Of course. He's the one who started this."

"If we're going to spirit journey, then excuse me," replies Kagome in a quiet voice. Kagome walks briskly away from the room and exits the temple.

"Uh me too," replies Sango, trying to catch up with her.

"I've done this before," informs Miroku, "I'm fine."

"Inazuma and I are quite used to it. I didn't drink anything; the food provides enough hydrating material to sustain a body for days. I knew we'd be doing this from the moment I got up."

InuYasha steps out of the room and disappears from sight. "He was waiting until both Sango and Kagome were out of the temple," chuckles Shippo, "He can't let anyone see any discretions."

"Just like Inazuma," Rai sighs. Inazuma snorts, acting embarrassed.

After a while, Kagome and Sango enter the room. "My gosh, I didn't realize I was holding all that in," sighs Kagome, deeply.

"I know," agrees Sango, "That's not healthy either, especially at our age." InuYasha returns immediately after the two women.

"I thought you were going to hold it," smirks Kagome.

"Shut up. I was working out frustration, nothing more."

"So that wasn't your bare ass standing…"

"P…please don't blab."

"So everyone's here. I can see the room is sealed. I assume it means no evil spies can come through here."

"Right," confirms Miroku, "This is a soundproof room too."

"Will it prevent our spirits from exiting or entering?" asks Rai.

"No. In fact the lights will blow out when you're ready, I'll make sure of that."

"You blowing the lamps out will make it pitch black in here," gripes InuYasha.

"When you enter spirit form, you'll be able to see. The cave itself is pitch black, even in the daytime. You'll notice a number of lanterns among the corpses."

"What's going to happen to our bodies?" worries Sango.

"Relax," replies Miroku, "I've been through this too. This room is sealed to prevent evil spirits from finding our bodies. Also there will be pseudo spirits in our places. They will keep our bodies alive and sleeping."

"Will anyone see us?" asks Kagome.

"Demons might, but not humans. Even if evil demons see us, they can't do anything," informs Rai, "So find a comfortable spot in the room, and we'll begin."

"I don't feel tired," comments InuYasha.

"Not a problem, because I know an incantation that has the power to put you under."

"I've got a sutra with the same power," replies Miroku, feeling around in his sleeves. He holds out a sutra with nemuri written in kanji. The group finds a seat around the room with Miroku and Rai in the center, on the gravel floor. Both Miroku and Rai sit upright, each holding a sutra.

Rai chants, "Rei-teki na Janpu!" Simultaneously as Miroku chants, "Nemuri!" Suddenly the lamps blow out and everyone in the room is ejected from their bodies.


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome blinks her eyes and looks around, feeling dazed and confused. She sees a miko's white kimono and red hibakama, looking very similar to Kikyo. "Am I dead? Is this what being dead is like?"

"You aren't dead," reassures Rai, "Look back at your body. You can see it still breathing." She looks at the body, snoring away.

"She's right," replies Sango, starting to stir. She sees a pure white kimono draped on her body.

"Rai, your hair's black. You're in a human form," points out InuYasha.

"Look at a mirror if you can," sighs Kagome, "You've become human and it's not even the first of the month. It's morning still anyways."

"What!?" shrieks InuYasha, "Rai, change me back!" he demands.

"Calm down," reassures Rai, "Hanyou powers are useless in the cave. Besides this form makes you purified."

"Must you dress me in white?" he gripes.

"Guys," reassures Miroku, "This is not a big deal. If you're dressed in white kimonos in spirit form, it says to the deity who owns the region you aren't an evil spirit. Rai asked you to cleanse your bodies so you can be pure when facing Mount Hiei's deity. While you were in battle, I knew she would ask us to do this. I sat under the falls out back to cleanse my body. I also cleansed it from the inside."

InuYasha stares at Inazuma in his spiritual body, "Who are you?"

"Inazuma, who else?"

"This is his demon form. He's only in this form in the spirit realm."

"So now that you've become adjusted, shall we begin the journey to the cave?" asks Miroku.

"I want to show you what you're up against," informs Rai, "But I've got a precaution. The maze in cave is awful in several spots. Many paths lead straight into dead ends. And when I say dead end, I mean if you're in a mortal body and see a dead end, there is no turning around. Horrible, unforgiving traps await you. Some poor victims die on the spot, while others exit safely only to go mad to the point of suicide. The cave has been made off limits and made illegal for the locals to enter."

"Then why are we entering this place?" asks Sango.

"Because I'm going to lead you through the right path. We're in spirit form so if you accidentally venture into a dead end, you can't die."

"That's…reassuring I guess," shivers Sango.

"I've got to warn you, if you've got weak stomachs and you see something super grotesque, as soon as we return to our bodies, just run as fast as you can out the door. I've had to throw up a number of times. I don't anymore, because I'm used to it."

"Are you saying we're that weak?" snuffs InuYasha. "We've been inside gross places before."

"That's good, Oji(san), but at least three stomachs in this group are human only."

Rai and Miroku float out of the temple first, followed behind the rest. Shippo flies beside Rai, appearing as the same four-tailed red fox from earlier. "You sound like you've been to where the jewel is. How did you survive it?"

"I have seen the path to it. Jii-chan guided me there. He's the one who made this possible."

Kagome flies across the trees, soaring like a bird. "This is so fun. I can't believe I don't have to be carried by either InuYasha or Kirara."

"You can do that anytime. I'm always doing that when I'm out of my body."

"Heh, I fly like that normally," smirks Shippo. "It's just what I do."

"Do you transform into that ball?" asks InuYasha.

Shippo shakes his head. "I don't do that anymore. This animal form you see me in now, is what I change into."

"Oji(san), it's as the old proverb says, 'When I was a child, I spoke and behaved like a child. All my actions and views of the world were that of a child. When I became a man, I gave up on my childish ways.' That's what I believe Shippo's trying to tell you."

"You know that too?" smiles Miroku, "It's like you're a monk too, or…"

"She's been at the dojo at Mount Hiei," replies Sango, "I know the samurai from there would be knowledgeable like that."

"What? You know something about this place?" asks InuYasha.

"My father talked about it when I was young. There was a secret society of samurai specialized in demon slaying. The cult has been stationed on this mountain for hundreds of years. They'll send several men out to slay demons with their ways. They served the south, just as my village served the north."

"Why did Naraku go after your village and not these samurai?" asks InuYasha.

"I can answer that," sighs Rai, "These samurai are a secret cult. Even if this Naraku guy could find them, he'd be slaughtered for sure by these samurai. Besides if he had gone after the Jukon, he would have died. This is the reason Nakuhebi is extra cautious. This is why he's going to great lengths in search of the Crimson Jewel. Not even Nakuhebi is fool hearty to search through without the jewel. When the Crimson Jewel is at the mouth of the cave, it will resonate off the Jukon and create a beam, showing the seeker the right trail."

"We don't have it with us, do we?" worries Kagome, "What if we get lost."

"I'm already ahead of you on that. I've made 'arrangements' with someone. We're meeting him at the mouth."

"Someone? Is it who I think?" asks InuYasha. Rai doesn't respond, but zips towards the ground in front of a large cave entrance. InuYasha stares straight at a man resembling Sesshomaru, but with dragon armor on both shoulders. His fur straddles both shoulders, flowing gracefully down his back. His long silver hair is pulled back into a tail and is brushed by the wind. InuYasha falls to his knees in front of the man. "F…f…ather! It…um…"

"Pleasure to see you, my son," Inu no Taisho smiles, touching InuYasha's face with his fingers. "I see you've met Rai, my magomusume."

"Yeah. D…did s…s…he?"

"Did you think I was lying when I said I see Jii-chan all the time in my dreams?"

"Kagome, you've got to see…"

"I'm already seeing him. He's real. Did she bring you back, Master?" Kagome asks, humbling herself at his feet.

"No, young lady. I'm still dead. This is my soul you're speaking to. Your niece, my magomusume, is a medium. She's able to call my soul from the Netherworld. She does this every night. Mostly it's without trying hard at all."

"But Father, she's a hanyou like me. How come she can do this and I can't?" asks InuYasha.

"With every hanyou, there aren't any two alike. Some traits are more refined than others. With Rai, she's more demon than human. Her level of intelligence, fighting style, and this ability as a medium are things she's gotten from Sesshomaru. What she's given up is flying. Well not given up, more like a weakness for her. That's why she relies on the thunder horse like she does."

"You can't fly?" asks InuYasha.

"I can fly in short distances or in battle. However for long distant travel it's hard. I just haven't mastered it. I'll work at it."

"That's her answer to her weaknesses. She doesn't give up either," smiles Inu no Taisho.

"Jii-chan, I can't handle being a burden because I can't do something. You know that better than anyone. Not even Chichi-ue knows that much."

"I think he actually does, Rai."

"So, are you going to lead us, Master?" asks Miroku.

"Both Rai and I will. We've been through the cave. I've taken her through this thing to see the Jukon. Did you warn them, dear?"

"Of course, Jii-chan. I want to show you why it's illegal to enter. Just so you know, don't ever come here alone."

"Are we walking through this?" asks InuYasha.

Rai hovers above the ground. "Oji(san), we're all ghosts, so figure it out," she smirks.

"Lucky for you all," snickers Inu no Taisho, "At least you've got living bodies to go back to. I've got the Netherworld."

"Thought you loved being a ghost, Jii-chan? Or were you pulling my leg when I asked?" asks Rai, poking him in the ribs. He chuckles from her poke.

"I didn't know ghosts were also ticklish," replies Kagome.

"When you've been dead for a short time, you learn quickly your senses are picked up and you really feel stuff."

"I wonder if Jii-chan is feeling things now," Kagome sighs, trying not to cry.

"What's the matter, dear?" asks Inu no Taisho.

"Her grandfather just died. He's in this realm too."

"So sorry. I know how that is. Think how it feels to be the one who has died." Inu no Taisho floats over to her and embraces her. She weeps bitterly in his arms.

"He's always been there for me, my mother, and Souta. He was there to see his great-granddaughter, InuYuzu. Now…"

"I know," sighs Inu no Taisho. "He most likely in pain himself."

"Perhaps, if I can come with you to this Tokyo place, in your world, I can connect the two of you," offers Rai.

"If she can cross the well too, perhaps that would be the best present for both of you," suggests Sango, "Even better than flowers for his grave."

"I can even do it for your family, Oba(san)."

"Really?" Kagome replies through her tears. She starts to collect herself and motions to move toward the mouth.

"Now before you enter the mouth, try to look at things other than the ground. Close your eyes if you have to," replies Rai.

"Ha. I'm not scared of a few dead bodies," gloats InuYasha.

"Right so when we go back to our bodies, you won't be the first to throw up," smirks Rai.

"I can sense the ground," comments Shippo, still in his animal form, "It feels like old dried skeletons. Something oozy and squishy."

"Describing it is as bad as looking at it, dear," sighs Rai.

"You called him 'Dear'. Does this mean…?" Inu no Taisho starts to ask.

"I found him, Jii-chan. This is my boyfriend now. We just called it this morning."

"It's Shippo, sir."

"I've seen you the first time as a child. Now you're a young man dating my magomusume. I'll allow this, young kitsune, as long as you don't do anything to upset her."

"Jii-chan!" she blushes, "D…don't threaten him like that. I don't want you scaring him away."

"That's how my Jii-chan used to be. He used to threaten InuYasha like that," chuckles Kagome.

"I suppose that's what happens," sighs Sango, "The unwritten rules of grandpas. If given the father-figure role in his granddaughter's life, grandpa must threaten the boyfriend upon first meeting him."

"See, Rai, she knows the rules," smirks Inu no Taisho.

A peasant man whisked through the group in the opposite direction, from the cave, with his hands clasped over his mouth. He races to a dead tree and heaves his guts violently. InuYasha tries dodging out of his way, barely avoiding being puked on. "What's his deal? Did he just come from the cave?"

"He was probably just inside the mouth. There's demonic miasma seeping from a few of the false passageways. You see there's no life at all, not even grass here. That guy only got a small whiff and probably didn't venture far at all. He's lucky throwing up is all he's doing. He was also probably looking at the floor, which is why I said don't look."

"Thank goodness you're a ghost, son," Inu no Taisho remarks, "Same with you lot."

The group floats over the entrance floor. Immediately they face seven passageways. InuYasha sees light glowing from the second left passageways from the center. He starts to venture towards the passageway when Rai grabs him by the collar of his kimono. "Hey what was that for?" he snaps.

"You think that's the way because you see light? That light could be anything. Don't be fooled. The pathway you were about to take would lead you straight into a lava pit. If you were in your mortal body, you'd die right away."

"Impossible. I've got that robe…"

"…Of the fire rat. The one I gave you when you were a newborn. That won't protect you against anything in here, son." "Rai, please show the right path to these guys." Rai shows them to the path third entry on the far right.

"Who made this labyrinth?" asks Miroku, watching the path curve to central exit into a long corridor.

"Rakutaka's the one who carved this," explains Inu no Taisho.

"Rakutaka and Jii-chan have been tight for a long time. The other reason we're here at this cave at all is because Rakutaka and Jii-chan go way back, almost 10,000 years."

"He knows you too, Rai. He says he wishes to see you again."

"So where next, darling?" asks Shippo.

"What's the matter? You anxious to get back to your body. I said if you had to pee."

"No it's not that. Right after we got back to the temple, didn't you see me take off in a hurry?"

"Before we even landed you took off."

"You were talking about being sealed in a room, so I dashed off a took a huge whiz. That tea that fueled me through that fight at Souten's had run its course."

"So what's your hurry now?"

"I'm curious about this cave. This is a weird place."

"Yeah, but you know the old saying, 'Curiosity kills the cat'. If you let yours get the better of you, your body's going to feel it the moment you return to it."

"Will I die because of that?"

"Doubtful, but you'll experience eternal nightmares. Some humans have escaped here, but only to suffer never-ending nightmares. I wonder if that man we saw will be wetting his bed for years. Some nightmares get so bad that the victim ends his own life. I just hope he doesn't suffer like that."

InuYasha peers at a row of tunnel entries. "So, Rai, there's ten of these tunnels. Which one do you take?"

"You've counted ten? Are you sure? At least three tunnels are fake." Rai floats over to a tunnel entry, to the far left. She solidifies her fist and tries to hit through the passage, only to hit a wall. "This entry is nothing more than Hell Moss. This stuff makes a great impersonation of a tunnel entry." She floats back to the group. "From this left tunnel the first, fourth, and ninth tunnels are fake."

"So there are seven left," deduces Sango.

"None of the other seven are right either." Rai picks through her kimono and pulls out a tiny piece of paper.

"That's shikigami," replies Miroku.

"What's in these tunnels?" asks InuYasha.

"Dead dogs roam this cave," informs Rai.

"So what does that matter? The dogs are dead," shrugs InuYasha.

"I've plucked strands of that man's hair. Since he was too busy seeing his breakfast come up, I doubt he noticed I stole pieces of his hair." She wraps one of the strands around the tiny paper man. Instantly the paper was transformed into the exact copy of the villager. "There's a dead dog at the end of this short tunnel, and I'm going to anger him. It won't take much either." She walks the puppet into the cave, making it walk along, feeling the walls for security.

Rai blows dust through the tunnel, making her puppet sneeze. Suddenly the group hears a low violent growl echo through tunnel. The puppet starts to freak and runs towards the exit. He barely makes it to the entrance when a monstrous snarling remains of a dog bounds out of the tunnel after him.

"What the hell is that?" shrieks Miroku. "He's mostly decomposed. His bones are exposed."

"He's got only one eye and his stomach is missing," Sango replies in shock, "He looks like he's been dead for awhile."

"He's at least 100 years old," informs Inu no Taisho, "You'll find packs of these dogs all over this place. You can't kill them and they can't be exorcised. Several powerful monks have tried, only to be killed by them."

The group watches the puppet running for his life, only to be pulled back by the dog and devoured on the spot. Kagome flinches and buries her face in InuYasha's kimono.

"Are there anymore passages?" asks Sango.

"At the last entry on the right, there's a wall running perpendicular."

"I see it," announces Sango. She solidifies and presses against the wall, only to fall through.

"That's a false wall. If we were in our bodies, we could walk right through this wall."

"I can see why Naraku didn't come here for the Jukon," remarks Miroku, "He was many things, but wasn't a fool."

"I heard about this guy from Sesshomaru. I even saw him at my grave," sighs Inu no Taisho. "I saw him attempt to come here. When the Shikon Jewel vanished eighty years ago, he tried to locate the Jukon. He sent several demons in his place to scout the cave, however when none of his demons returned, he gave up the pursuit. He knew their disappearance meant they were all killed here."

"So even Naraku found this cave impossible," sneers InuYasha, "Serves him right."

"So there was a power far more evil than Naraku. This cave is a devil's paradise. It's an actual hell on Earth," replies Shippo.

"Right. When Rai said one would have to die then be revived by the deity here, this is what she meant," explains Inu no Taisho. "If you come here in a mortal body, your body will die. However your soul won't leave. You have to walk through as a zombie. If you make it through safely, then you've earned the respect of Rakutaka and he will revive your body. At that point you will have earned the right to see the Jukon. It will grant you three wishes, but you must choose wisely. If for instance, you InuYasha wish for more power, you'll be turned into an ultra powerful demon that will eat out your body. Then you'll end up like these dead dogs."

"Should we continue through this maze?" asks Miroku.

"What's the matter? Can't take it?" asks Rai.

"No just…"

"I'll wager a bet with you lot. I'm going to guess at least two of you are going to barf when we return. Kagome and Miroku will need a quick exit."

"You think I'll be sick?" asks Kagome.

"If I lose the bet, I'll…break it off with Shippo. We will never see each other again."

"But I won't get sick," replies Miroku.

"If I lose the bet on you, I'll accept your offer and let you impregnate me. Don't think I'm pure like that either. I've had sex, that's how Shippo and I met. We made love that night."

"What if you win?" asks Kagome.

"Then you'll help me search for the Crimson Jewel shards."

"So it was shattered like the Shikon," sighs InuYasha.

"From what I've learned, that was shattered by mistake. This situation is different. The shattering of the Crimson Jewel was intentional."

"You've told me that last night, it was shattered on purpose," recalls Sango.

"It'd make sense," figures Miroku, "Whoever did it wanted to be sure it could never be found. They were wanting to conceal the location of the Jukon."

"What's the connection between the Jukon and the Crimson Jewel?" asks Kagome, "How is it different from the Shikon?"

"As the Shikon had four souls, Jukon has ten. The souls come from humans, animals, demons, plant life, and the remaining six are from the Earth itself. Souls of the land make up its core. There are more than just souls. If it were only souls, the Jukon would be white like the Shikon. The Jukon's red. That's because it's also made of blood."

"Blood?" asks InuYasha in shock, "What blood?"

"I'll give you a hint. What do you think fuels these dead dogs? Human blood?"

"They have no blood, they're dead," replies Sango.

"True they have no blood of their own. But they are animated by blood. Demon dog blood has been poured into their corpses. It's the same blood that is used by the Jukon."

"Is the jewel controlling them?" asks Sango.

Rai nods her head, "This jewel has its own powers. Nobody's controlling the dogs. Rakutaka isn't the type to kill the innocent. He prefers no one to come here. He wouldn't make the dogs attack. The Jukon's doing that. It wishes not to be discovered, so it goes to great lengths to deter seekers."

"So when can we see this jewel?" asks InuYasha, "I don't know how much can take of this creepy place."

"Scared already? Tough hanyou like you?" taunts Rai.

"Who said I was scared? I'm just bored."

"Yeah. Oba(san), have you got any over night protection? Diapers or leak-proof undergarments?"

"Back at the house. Jii-chan had some while he was sick and unable to move from his bed."

"Give one to Oji(san) tonight, please. And wear one yourself."

"What? Am I a baby? I don't need one."

"You will tonight. Or you could stand in front of a bush with your pants down, sleep like that all night. Either way your dreams will get you so scared, you'll pee all night."

"I'm not a wimp," protests InuYasha.

"When I went through this cave the first few times, I had nightmares for months. I had to sleep sitting over a hole in the ground, inside a tent. The next morning the pit would be filled. I was so scared, I peed as if I had drank an entire keg of green tea."

"That and you ran a fever and couldn't hold anything down for days," recalls Inu no Taisho. "You had to be fed liquids."

"But you seem fine now," shrugs Sango. "You don't look bothered at all."

"I've built up a tolerance for this place. Though tonight I might request a diaper from Oba(san). I'll hold your hair back, if you get it for me."

"Sure. But I don't think I'll be sick. I've in Naraku's body and even killed him there. It never got me sick."

"Won't matter. This cave is worse than any demons' insides, even Naraku's."

"Can we just see the Jukon?" asks Kagome, "These weird noises are creeping me out."

The group floats through the passageway and see more tunnel entries. One tunnel, they hear screaming echoing.

"What's here?" Kagome peeks into the tunnel the screaming was coming from.

"Go…go…away!" screams the voice of a young woman. "Please, let me go! I beg of you! Help!" she calls out.

"Someone's in trouble," gasps Miroku, "I must help her."

Rai shakes her head. "That's sound was here when I was exploring this place with Jii-chan. He says a young woman died in that tunnel over 300 years ago. Her echo hasn't left that passage since. A monk Jii-chan allowed in here has found her body. Her remains are in a grave at the peak of this mountain. The dojo I trained at has a special gravesite for the innocent lives this cave took. The victims have their remains there."

"I wish to visit the site," pleads Miroku, with sadness in his voice, "I'm a man-of-the-cloth myself and I want to offer my prayers to them."

"That can be arranged. When we get back in our bodies, we can go straight to the gravesite."

"I'm making another bet. Sango, it would help if you stay by Miroku's side. I can tell he's going to need you to comfort him."

"You think I'm going to cry?"

"I can tell by looking at you. You will breakdown tonight."

"So you just look at a person and tell what they will be doing?" asks Miroku. "I've heard of this. Rai's got telepathy and psychic abilities. She can see what's going to happen before it occurs. I've met a few monks with this same power."

"She's just a hanyou. Why don't I have this ability?" pouts InuYasha.

"Because she trained in the temple at this sacred place. The dojo she's referring to is very powerful temple," explains Inu no Taisho, "This is a holy mountain, despite this dangerous cave. Or perhaps it's because the cave is dangerous that the surface is heavily sacred. The Jukon has the power to increase ones abilities tenfold, if they trained here. You combine that with Rai's demonic power, you get a very strong knowledgeable fighter."

"Her demonic power…Sesshomaru. When I saw her fight Nakuhebi's serpents earlier, she looked like Sesshomaru," recalls InuYasha.

"Long ago I trained him in these very mountains. Back when I was alive, I brought him here and his powers would grow exponentially. We would spar here often."

"We don't have to continue, if you don't want," sighs Rai. "Takes a lot of skill and training to get through here. Only three people have made it all the way through."

"Three?" asks Kagome.

"The one who made the jewel, the one who broke it in half and scattered the shards of one of the halves, and the descendant of both."

"The one who made the jewel has demon dog blood," figures Miroku, "The Jukon is a very powerful thing. He who trains here has his powers strengthen. But one to know of this place was, you Master Dog. He's been through here multiple times, because he and the deity are friends. Is the deity a dog too?"

"Not a dog," replies Inu no Taisho, "He's a fox deity. Rakutaka is a very powerful fox deity."

"That'd make sense," replies Shippo, "I'm a fox and I could tell the moment I entered someone with the cunning wisdoms of a fox would create such an elaborate maze to hide a rare treasure. If it were I, I'd make the passage nearly impossible to find something."

"So you are friends with a fox, like me," replies InuYasha.

"He's your friend. Very close as Rai describes it, about 10,000 years," replies Miroku.

"10,000 years ago this land was in total chaos. Demons of all kinds ruled here. No human could set foot here. Many were so afraid, that leaving the safety of the continent would mean certain doom. When Rakutaka and I came here, plants were sparse, animal life was wrought with one extinction after the next. I had enough of this. Rakutaka had the same opinion. We reshaped this land, drawing forth all the lost souls we could. This Mount Hiei was the place we made the resting place for the souls of mortals and demons alike. I gathered what I could, restoring the land to order, giving life where there was none. The souls gathered in my body, mixing with my blood. When the souls pulled together, my body had enough, so I became very sick and threw up a huge stone along with my blood, coating the stone. I asked Rakutaka to stash the jewel deep in Mount Hiei. He did, then he created a path through the mountain to get to the stone, but he didn't just want anyone to get to the stone. He showed me the way to get to it, so I could so another generation."

"To show your descendants?" asks Miroku. "You showed someone the way to the jewel. You don't mean…?"

"Jii-chan was allowed by Rakutaka to bring his first born to the site of the jewel. Chichi-ue has been here since his birth. He was born in these mountains."

"So Sesshomaru knows of this place," sneers InuYasha.

"Not just knows, he's gone all the way. He even did the trial. Why do you think death doesn't bother him?" asks Inu no Taisho, "He died here at the mouth of the cave, then walked his zombie body through the maze to get to the Jukon. He proved worthy to Rakutaka to be revived by him. He was then given the jewel and was instructed to break it in half. He left the cave with a portion of the jewel tucked in the sleeves of his kimono."

"When did he do this?" asks InuYasha.

"Three years after you were born, son. Sesshomaru was deeply troubled by my passing. He never wanted to reveal is pain to anyone. There were times when the pain was so much; he would go to Mount Hiei to weep in secret. Some nights, he'd blame you for my death, others he'd blame himself. This went on for three years, until Rakutaka felt Sesshomaru would tear himself apart. He asked Sesshomaru to come to the cave and take the challenge."

"So he passed it. Aren't there wishes upon the Jukon?" asks Kagome.

"Yes, three wishes. First wish was he wanted to take my place and to given my powers. Second wish was to be able to tell his descendants about the jewel. Third was made secret, so I don't know what he wanted."

"So when did he break the portion he took?"

"It'll be twenty years ago, this summer. He wanted to give it to Sesshaku, but by this time Nakuhebi was awakening, and Sesshaku wasn't nearly as powerful as Sesshomaru would have liked. Sesshaku's more like his human mother, Rin. He makes up for his low demonic power with bomb making."

"Twenty years ago, Rin was pregnant again," sighs Kagome, "I remember because I helped take care of her. I remember the birth of Rai. This child comes out of Rin, glowing with a huge demonic light. InuYuzu never had that. Rai was more demon than human. When she stared at you in the eyes, sometimes it was like looking into hell."

"That's the exact look Sesshomaru had when he was born. Hellish, determined eyes that pierces you to the core. He never gave up. This boy trained day and night to obtain his powers. Weaknesses were viewed as mere obstacles. He only trained harder until his weaknesses became his strength." "Rai's like that too," Inu no Taisho. "The look in her eyes is the same as Sesshomaru."

"I noticed him watching her in battle against a large band of highwaymen," replies Inazuma, "He told her to back down and let him take over. She refused. Instead both compromised and took down the bandits' demonic leader together. Sesshomaru didn't even get mad at her."

"We watched this huge battle against a collage of Nakuhebi's demons and local demons at Raimei Valley," recalls Kagome. "Her eyes were cold like Sesshomaru and her method to kill a hoard of demons in one attack, resembled one of his attacks."

"The girl is exactly like her father," sighs Inu no Taisho, "No doubt my son looks at her thinking he's looking into a mirror." Rai looks at him, with tears forming in her eyes. "I, the same, feel I'm looking into a mirror."

"Jii-chan." Rai's tears roll down her face.

"So will you be going through this thing, when the Crimson shards are found?" asks Kagome.

"I'll have to. I want to bring it back, so nobody else can get to it. This will mean I'll have to die first. I'm preparing my body for that."

"When you die, you must remove your garments. All must come off. You must carry nothing with you and the journey could take days. If your body is dead already, then it won't matter how long the journey is."

"Why do you have to be naked?" asks Sango.

"Purification," replies Miroku, "This is a test of endurance and smarts. You also have to be powerful in the spirit to even attempt this. I've been through a similar test."

"Of course there are other reasons. There are places where your body is given food and drink, so as not to decompose as you walk. The body must be pure and clean at all times, despite being dead."

"Will there be chances for sleep?" asks Shippo.

"You won't need it. You won't get tired."

"It's just like with Kikyo's fake body," recalls InuYasha, "She never needed food or sleep."

"True, but she had already been burned. Rai's body won't be burned, will it?" asks Kagome.

"I've been through here hundreds of times with my soul like this. If I don't have the Crimson Jewel leading the way, my mind is photographic. It's like a map. I know where all the traps are, all the false tunnels, hidden passages."

"Rai, I think it's time to leave here," informs Inu no Taisho, "Kagome looks scared."

"Damn right!" she shrieks, staring a head at a black shadowy figure, blocking the hallway in front of her, "Get me out of here and away from him!" she shakes, nervously.

"Horaki!" scolds Rai, "What the hell are you doing? Don't scare Oba(san) like that!"

"Sorry," the shadow responds in a low shy voice, "My wife's in there nagging me again. I came out here to smoke and get away from her. Didn't know you folks were here? I'll just go back."

"What's with him?" sighs InuYasha.

"Horaki doesn't know he's dead," sighs Rai, lowering her eyes.

"How sad," sighs Miroku, "He's dead. Poor guy."

"I'll say it's sad," snips the ghost of an old woman, floating out of her passage in the wall, "Why my parents betrothed us is beyond me. He's such an idiot. Hey you young ghosts want come in for some tea? Freshly made."

"We'll pass Merle," smiles Rai, "Thanks though."

"So what brings you by? Did you folks die here like we did?"

"No Merle, don't you remember me? Rai? I'm the girl always coming here in a spirit leap."

"Oh, it's you little Rai. Well you folks better get home to your bodies. This cave isn't the place for the living souls."

"How do we get back? The way we came?" guesses Miroku.

"There's a short cut, monk. If you go through this wall behind you, you should be able to get outside without any stupid obstacles."

"Thanks Merle," chimes Rai.

Horaki floats in front of a wall, pressing his ghostly body next to it. "What are you doing?" sighs Merle.

"I gotta go, woman. Get off my back!"

"Go? How many times do I have to tell you? You're a ghost. You're dead. You can't smoke, because you ain't got lungs. Nor can you have wall sex because your body's gone. We've been dead for a hundred years and he still thinks he's alive."

"I ain't dead. Stupid woman. It's these people. I can't pee in front of company. So leave."

"Old man, you're dead," sighs InuYasha, "Your bones are in this entry way."

"No use arguing with him," smirks Rai, "If he won't listen to Merle, why would he listen to you?"

"Rai, is there a sloshing demon here?" asks Kagome. She hears a wet sound through the walls.

"That's the cue. We're leaving. See you later, Merle." The group exits quickly through the short cut and floats all the way into the outside world.

"Fresh air. Daylight," sighs Sango.

"We're out but I can hear a sloshing sound," replies Kagome, "Did a monster follow us out?"

Rai ignores her and motions to Shippo. "Did you hear the sound too?"

"No, why is she imagining the sound?"

"I hear it too," replies Miroku.

"Thought so. I don't hear anything. Oji(san) do you hear it?"

"Hear what? I don't know what she's hearing."

"Shippo, Jii-chan, you want to lead the way with me, back to the temple?"

"What's going on?" asks Shippo

"I'm about to win the bet I made. Do you really hear the noise? Tell the truth."

"No. I don't hear anything."

"Then you're going to be fine. You must be more tolerant of places like that, or you put a spell on yourself."

"You said people get sick up there so I used a sutra to ward away illnesses of all kinds."

"Just because you're away from your body, it doesn't mean you can't feel or hear what it's doing. That sound wasn't from a monster, that's from the stomach. When we return to our bodies, I'll take care of Oba(san), you guys handle Miroku."

"So you knew those two would be sick. You could have prevented that."

"Not really. It takes about six years to get over being sick afterward. Don't worry. It doesn't last. Twelve hours at the maximum is how long you're sick for. By morning, Oba(san) and Miroku ought to be fine. It might be sooner than that. Maybe even this evening. I'll give them a sutra sedative. They are extremely powerful, enough to settle the stomach. Those two will still be sick, but will have 100-degree fevers and the need to sleep."

"Still you didn't have to put them through this."

"You wanted to see the place. I got the impression from Oji(san) that he thought I was lying. But you have to see it for real and get the sensation over with. That is if one wishes to take on the challenges of the cave. You have to go through that in order to get over the initial reaction."

Rai and Shippo arrive at the temple and walk back through the wall to where their bodies rest.

"How do we get in our bodies?" asks Shippo.

"Just float in. There's no trick to it." Rai drifts back into her body, expelling the pseudo spirit. She starts to stir, lighting the torches in the process. "Are you awake?"

Shippo opens his eyes, blinking in disbelief. "Now what?"

Rai stands in front of the wall and transforms it into a large, sliding door. She hears Kaede knock on the door to the room.

"You guys awake? You've been in here for a long time."

"Kaede-dono, please help me with Oba(san)'s body. There's no time." Rai ties Kagome's hair back and races with her body over to a deep ravine.

"I've got Miroku's body," replies Shippo.

"Hold him over this ravine and prop his mouth open. Hurry, their souls are headed to their bodies." "Kaede, can you hold her body with me?"

"What's going on?" asks Kaede.

"We were at the cave at the base of Mount Hiei. It's a real hell on Earth. I was showing them where I've been training for almost fourteen years of my life. For the first six, my body had to get over the price of training, which is nausea. You have to experience that, like it or not."

"You're not sick now. Shippo isn't either."

"I'm fine. The experience didn't bother me at all."

"Most likely because you're more tolerant of places like this and you've got spells protecting you. The reason I got sick was because I wasn't relying on such things and I had no tolerance at first."

"I've been through similar trials," replies Kaede. "I've had to overcome obstacles in training to become a miko. Some trials did this to my body."

"Was it to the point of making you sick?"

"Yeah, I've gotten sick like this because of the harsh training."

InuYasha arrives in his body first and sees Kagome and Miroku being held over the ravine. "InuYasha, quick!" orders Shippo, "Help me hold his body. Miroku's getting heavy."

"Uh huh?" InuYasha responds, looking puzzled, "What's this for?"

"You'll know in a few minutes. For now, help Shippo brace Miroku's body."

"Why are we doing this?" asks InuYasha.

"You know that sloshing noise these two heard wasn't from any demon. Their own bodies were making that noise. Or more to the point, their stomachs were doing that. As soon as they arrive, both are going to be sick."

"Why?" sneers InuYasha, "Why did you do this to them?"

"That's the price you pay for going out there, especially if you're human or half human."

"Why am I not sick then? I'm half human."

"But you've been through similar trials. You're mostly demon as it is. However you won't be totally out of the woods. Next you'll experience a very terrible nightmare. It'll be so tense, you will wet yourself. There's nothing getting around that. When I was training there, I had to sleep naked in a barn full of straw. I'd wake up in the morning with wet straw. You get that scared."

"Will I need to do that?" asks InuYasha.

"I recommend you do something like that, or wake up with wet pants. Your choice, though I'd choose the least embarrassing thing."

"What about these two? Are they going to be sick for long?"

"Just for tonight. This reaction doesn't last. They'll get over it by morning. I have sutras prepared with very strong sedatives. They could start feeling better as soon as tonight. However they will require sleep. I'd postpone whatever plans you have for tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?"

"Just we'll all be back to normal. The memories will still be there, but you'll get over their affects."

Kagome drifts into her body and immediately starts vomiting. "Hold her steady, Kaede."

"What's happening?" she starts to kneel, hurling violently.

Rai rubs her back, while bracing her body. "Just relax and let it come out."

Miroku returns and coughs violently, spewing his guts too.

"That's the normal response for the cave if you've never been there. I've had to go through six years of this, before my body and soul got used to it. This is the initial cost of going there."

"So you led us out there, knowing that?" asks Miroku.

"There was no other way. I doubted you believed anything about this cave. You became so arrogant after killing Naraku that you thought nothing could scare you or gross you out. Naraku's just one demon. There are more things worse than him. That cave we were in is called 'Hell's Labyrinth.' It's ten miles of maze inside the whole mountain. We were only inside for the first two miles."

"What if we went in all the way?" asks Miroku.

"Takes three days to travel. If your soul is in the cave for long periods of time for more than two days, your body will deteriorate, unless it's possessed."

"Who'd possess you?" asks Miroku, breathing heavily. Rai doesn't respond at first. She shifts her focus on Kagome.

"How long will this be?" she gripes. "My stomach feels like it's burning. I don't know how much I can take."

Rai places a sutra on Kagome's head. "Itsu saru. Hakike saru. Naoru Kagome." Suddenly Kagome collapses in Kaede's arms. "Get her inside and put her to bed. Her stomach will be settled. She needs lots of sleep and you may want to put her on straw, stripped naked."

"I'll put her in a private area away from everyone. I've got a bathtub full of water."

"That'd work too," smiles Rai. "Either way her dreams will be so intense, well you know."

Rai walks over to Miroku with the same sutra. "I'll settle your stomach too. But you'll be put out the rest of the day."

Miroku nods weakly and Rai applies the sutra on his head. "Itsu saru. Hakike saru. Naoru Miroku." "Oji(san), set him a tub full of water. He'll need sleep, but his body's going to react to the dream."

"How bad are these dreams?" asks Shippo, "I'm getting shivers now."

"If that's so, then let's sleep it off now."

"I'm not tired. I'm fine."

Inazuma passes her by, back in his own body, whispering to her. "He's been through this before. Inazuma's sleeping in the forest. He's going to find a bed of grass and sleep standing up. Normally when he says that, it means he wants to sleep it off now. The only time he stands on his feet is when his ghost has been exploring the cave."

"How long does this take?"

"It depends on the person. I think since you've all been through traumatic stuff before that six hours will be all you need. However this will be the most trying six hours."

"I'll transform and take you into the woods," suggests Shippo.

"I'll engage Naosusaiga to shield us from on lookers." Rai catches Sango walking around. "As soon as you see Miroku's in the tub, sit beside him and hold his hand. Tell Oji(san) to do the same for Oba(san). The best way to get through these dreams. There are also bails of straw. You may want to sleep naked on that stuff. Cover up with it if you want."

"O…okay," she replies.

"I say this because I've been through this. I've had to go through this the first six years until my body and soul both got used to it. But this afternoon will be the most intense nightmare of your lives. You'll wake up with wet straw. Better than wetting your clothes, right?"

"It's that intense? Thanks for the warning."


	6. Chapter 6

Shippo transforms into his fox form and allows Rai to mount him. "Will we be spotted? I don't feel all comfortable sleeping nude," he sighs, as he flies off.

"We can sleep on opposite sides of a bush. The barrier will make you invisible to any passers by, whether they are demon or human. If you want extra security, create a blanket of leaves to cover yourself with. I sleep like that when I'm forced to sleep outside. I'm nude but covered up. Although I think for today, you'd better hold my hand. The dream will be intense and if you have someone you care for sleeping next to you, it will add security for you."

"Will we accidentally, you know…"

"Not unless you want to," Rai smirks, seductively, walking her fingers up his furry neck.

"Rai, please," he blushes. She lies on his back, running her claws through his soft fur. "Mm… that feels good." He finds a super dense track of forest and flies down through the trees.

Rai points out a ring of bushes between two tall Japanese oaks. "Looks sort of like a marriage bed, doesn't it?"

"You want to sleep there?"

Rai nods. "We're lucky to find this. I was thinking we would be sleeping on the ground, but this is much better."

Shippo swoops down and lands beside the bushes. "They're huge. Much bigger than what we saw in the air." Rai stabs the ground on her side with the Naosusaiga, creating a barrier of invisibility. Shippo transforms back to his demon form, standing next to her.

"I suppose we should get ready," sighs Rai. She unfastens her armor and starts stripping off her clothes.

"Wait! You're getting nude!"

"What's the matter? You've seen my body before."

"Well, uh…" he turns around, "I didn't uh…"

"Take a chill. You'd better get ready too. I promise I won't look."

"When InuYasha was getting serious around Kagome, he never undressed like this. Neither got into it."

"They did eventually, or they wouldn't have a daughter."

"That only happened after they were married."

"You mean before then they never did it?"

"I don't know."

"One couple's experiences are different than another's. No two relationships start out the same. InuYasha and Kagome started it beside that tree. Chichi-ue and Haha-ue met when she was a child and then she died from a wolf attack. Ours was at the brothel in Nagasaki, both looking for action."

Rai slips off her outfit and leaps up onto the bushes. She sits on the edge of the bush, staring up as the sky, while Shippo undresses. He looks up at her, basking in the sunlight, seeing the light blanket over her naked body. He imagines seeing wings protruding off her back, like an angel. The soft breeze brushes through her long silvery hair, touching her doggie ears. "Rai, may I…just…"

Rai closes her eyes and allows him to sit next to her. "I won't look at you, but yes."

"I know I shouldn't be so embarrassed. I don't really care if you look at me. You've studied it back at the brothel."

Rai opens her eyes and studies him. "You really are attractive. Like a statue of a god."

"Really? You think I look like a god?" She rests her arm on his shoulder, petting his long red hair.

"Can I touch them?" Shippo asks. Rai smiles and rests her head on his shoulders. He gently takes his fingers and rubs her ears. "I just had to touch them."

"It feels soothing. I don't why Oji(san) objects to having his ears rubbed. It feels good, even tickles."

"Probably because you're not as wired as he is. Your father is more relaxed, like you are. You don't let things bother you and you react with a calm, cool head." "You also think quickly it intense situations. I like how you thought to get Miroku and Kagome out as quickly as you did."

"I had to. It takes thirty minutes between the time you hear that sloshing noise to having your body regurgitate. I didn't think Oba(san) would be happy to come home to her body with vomit all over it. That'd be much worse."

"You have a point there. Kagome likes being clean."

"So you tired, Shippo?"

"I'm getting there." Rai scoots across the flat top of the hedge. Shippo moves towards the opposite side of the bush.

"If you want, I can put you to sleep."

"I'll use fox magic to make a cover out of these leaves."

"You might want to lie on your stomach. So when we're dreaming, when it gets to the intense parts…well, you're a man…"

"I follow. Thanks for telling me." He lies on his stomach with a cover of leaves over his body. "What about you?"

"I've been through this. I'm at the point where the dream doesn't scare me anymore. I don't get sick nor do I get traumatized that badly."

"What's the reason?"

"Fight or flight. Your body's reacting to what your ghost saw. Vomiting is one reaction, extreme nightmares are the next. How much you willing to bet when we're together back in the village tonight, everyone will have his or her story to tell? We'll be able to compare our dreams with theirs." She holds his hand. "I won't let go, I promise."

"I'm ready," Shippo yawns, closing his eyes.

Rai closes her eyes, "Nemutte naosu. Hogo o yumemiru…" She drops off, falling asleep after the last word of her incantation.

Rai awakens and finds herself standing in the cave again. Shippo opens his eyes and finds himself standing beside Rai, holding her hand. Both are wearing white kimonos with nothing on their feet. They walk through the entrance of the cave. The cave howls with wind blowing through it. Two dead dogs rest upon the ground, which is littered with skulls and bones of dead demons and humans. The foul stench of decay and miasma pours out of the cave, blowing past the nostrils of Rai and Shippo.

"I don't like this. This place is creepy," shivers Shippo.

"This is the start of things," whispers Rai, "Don't talk too loud, or you'll upset those dogs. Dead dogs never rest. If we fly past them quietly, then we should be safe." She holds Shippo's hand and floats cautiously towards the entrance. A strong gust of wind rushes from the cave, tickling Shippo's nose, tempting him to sneeze.

"Hold it until we get past them," Rai whispers. Shippo covers his nose and mouth with his hand. The two float closer to the entrance when more troublesome wind tempts Shippo's nose. He tries to sneeze quietly, but is tempted to sneeze as hard as he can.

Suddenly the temptation becomes too great and Shippo sneezes with all his might. Just then he hears the angry sounds of growling behind him.

"Don't look at them. Just run!" Rai races with him, holding his hand tightly. The dogs barrel after them, each snapping their teeth at them. The pair race towards one of the entryways tunnels. One of the dogs barely misses Shippo's feet by a few inches. Shippo places his hand over his chest, panting.

The pair starts walking forward when Shippo accidentally steps on a loose rock in the floor. Just then, the Earth begins to quake in front of them, as the floor begins to give way. Soon they stand on a ledge looking over a huge lava pit. Pillars of stones mark the walking path. "We need to cross this. We need to do this quickly too, because this whole room is collapsing."

"Will we die? Shouldn't we go back and find another path?"

"If you do that, the dogs will kill you. It's too late to pick another tunnel."

"What if I were to transform?"

"Demon magic doesn't work here. Just run as fast as you can across this thing. This is the only option there is. Run and don't look back." She grabs his arm and races across the tops of the stone pillars. Each pillar crumbles with every step they take. Shippo sees an exit at the end of the collapsing trail.

He stares wearily at the exit. "That's too far. I can't make it."

"You can, I'll hold on to you." Rai steps back and leaps as far as she can. She lands on the wall, just below the exit.

Shippo tries to secure his fists around Rai's arm, but finds himself losing grip. He looks back and sees a dead dog trying to leap at Shippo, only to fall into the pit and turn into dust upon impact of the lava. "G…get me out of here. Help, I can't hold on m…much longer."

Rai hoists him onto the wall and secures him by wrapping his body around hers. She grasps the rocky floor of the doorway, hoisting her body through safely. She braces herself and assists Shippo up to the safety of the solid floor. He struggles to his feet, as Rai rises to her feet, too.

He leans against a wall, wiping his face with his hands. "That's what this is like? These dreams of yours?"

"I've gotten used to this. But it's not done yet," she warns. Suddenly the floor drops at a slope and some force sides them down without warning. Shippo tries to grab onto some sturdy boulder or embedded skull, frantically, but continues to fall fast down the slope. Rai tries to embed her feet into the floor, but has a hard time finding footing. Finally she stops herself, shortly before reaching a pile of spikes on the floor. She leaps away from the spikes and braces herself to catch Shippo. He barely misses the spikes about two inches from his crotch. Rai steps away from him for a few minutes.

"Why did you back away just now?" asks Shippo. Suddenly he starts urinating on the spikes.

"It's the same reason I said sleep on your stomach. I'll bet you, if you wake up, you'll see your body doing this. At least on a bush that huge, it won't matter. Your body's reacting to this."

"But you're not going."

"Didn't think I would. I've been through this several times."

Rai waits for Shippo to finish, then catches his body. "How much further must we go on? I don't know if I can take this." Shippo walks towards a wall, rubbing his face. "I t…thought back in that lava pit, I was going to die. I can't stop shaking. How are we going to get through this?"

Rai holds him as tightly as possible. She embraces him, trying to calm him down. "We can get through this. It'll be okay. This is what the dream's all about. It's a trial, really. This dream is meant to test your psyche and spiritual stamina. Here all your paranoias and fears about going through the cave are put to the test. That way when faced with the real cave, you can pass through without fear."

"Does this place have scary traps like this?"

"In many parts, yes. It's why it's called Hell's Labyrinth."

"Is it like this for everyone?"

"Each person experiences the dream different. I'm sure when we go back to the village, Oji(san) and the others will have all sorts of stories to talk about."

"Should we continue?"

"We better. This place is about to get hairy."

"I'll say," replies Shippo, staring at the ground. Thick bushels of blue hair poke through the floor, just as the ground becomes soft and fleshy. He looks back at the spikes and sees them turning into protruding teeth. "Rai, let's get out of here. I think we landed on the face of a huge demon."

He turns to see two former entryways become fleshy, like eyelids. Shippo grabs Rai and races her away from the monster's huge nose. He tries holding his palms out the demon. "What! My powers! It's like when I was a child."

Rai grabs his wrists, "I told you demon magic doesn't work here. He can't use it either. Just his brute force." She races down the demon's back, with Shippo following close behind. The back of the huge beast swerves around corners like a snake, extending through every place on the floor.

Suddenly the beast roars and starts moving its body. Despite its huge body, the demon doubles back and starts following them. In front of them, an army of huge venomous spiders stands, poised for a strike. Shippo looks back and sees the mouth of the beast follow them, with its mouth wide open. Just then he spots a passage and picks up Rai's body. He races inside the passage, just as the mouth of the beast chomps through the spiders.

He pants heavily, while still holding Rai's body. "Where are we?" he asks, "It's so dark."

"Run until you see light!" commands Rai.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"Just run. You'll know what's in here in a few minutes. You have to run straight through."

As he runs with her in his arms, he hears the clattering of ominous wings. "They're bats, aren't they?"

"Killer bats. If we stay put for one second, they will feast on us immediately. They'll pick us clean, not leaving so much as a bone behind."

Shippo heeds her warning and charges forward in the complete darkness. Suddenly, he sees a light, as Rai described at the end of the tunnel. They reach the end of the tunnel and see a huge underground temple, at the bottom of a ravine.

"What are you stalling for? Jump! Surviving a fall from here is better than being ripped to shreds by bats." Shippo jumps with her, cradling her against the rush of the free fall from the tunnel.

They land in the temple courtyard, bordered by a trickling brook. The temple itself is vast. Its walls are covered in white paperboard and the roof is lined with lime green tiles. The temple is open and exerts an aura of peace and tranquility.

In the center of the temple sits a large golden statue of Buddha. Immediately in front of him stands a small golden square table incased in a clear glass chest. Upon the table, glows a bright red jewel. Protecting the case on either side of it, are two dead dogs, each lying asleep with his head upon his front paws.

Shippo and Rai approach the room with caution. "Is it safe? I don't want to disturb those dogs. I've had enough of this place," Shippo trembles, shaking in fear.

"Do not be alarmed, my son," thunders a voice, "If you've made it this far, then those dogs will not attack. You and this woman have earned the respect of this temple."

Shippo blinks his eyes, trying to think. "Rai, I recognize this voice. Something familiar, but it's been so long since I…"

Just then a man, with his head of a fox, looking similar to Shippo steps forward from the shadows of Buddha's statue. "Ch…Ch…Chichi-ue?" tears start forming in his eyes. He sets Rai down and stares straight into the eyes of his father. "It's…uh…it's been so long." Tears trickle down his face.

"Shippo, look at you. Last time I saw you, you were just a baby. Now you've grown to look like me." His father embraces him, holding him as tight as he can.

"How…are you…here? I thought this was…"

"You should thank the beautiful hanyou dog who brought you here. She knew this dream would be hard on you, so this little end would be pleasant for you."

"But back there I was so sure I was going to die. I thought I was going to join you in the Netherworld. I wasn't brave at all. I'm still a child who runs from fear, not faces it like a man." Shippo buries his face into his father's shoulder, weeping bitterly.

"That's not it. Shippo, did you not survive this dream? You protected Rai. She guided you through this because she knew this dream. This is one of the seven dreams from Hell's Labyrinth. She's dreamt them all. But this time you were there to protect her. Isn't that what a real man is supposed to do?" Rai rubs Shippo's back, and his father hands him over to her.

"Shippo, so sorry I had to put you through this nightmare. But this is exactly what I had to go through. I was scared, just like you. But I've learned to concur this fear. Shippo, for you to even survive this the first time through, you're really brave and strong. You don't let it own you." She holds him, letting him cry.

"I haven't grown up at all. I was pretending like InuYasha said. I'm still a…"

"Shippo, it's okay. You were scared of this place…"

"That's not what I mean. My real fear was when I thought you would die. I don't want you to die. But I was so afraid I was going to fail you. Then that would prove to InuYasha…" Rai quickly silences him with a kiss.

Rai wipes away his tears with her fingers. "Don't worry about him. What does it matter what he thinks? You're a man, Shippo. You're the man I've fallen in love with." Rai kisses him again.

His father watches them with a nostalgic look on his face. 'Son, you really are becoming like me. When I met your mother, I was in love with her like this.'

"Son, it's time I leave to the Netherworld again," sighs his father.

Shippo swiftly turns to face him. "You're leaving now, Chichi-ue, but you just got here."

"Don't worry. I'll see you again. I'll visit you in your dreams, just like Rai's grandfather visits in hers. The Great Dog General was the other one who requested me to come. I had to, I wanted to see you again, my precious son." Shippo embraces him, crying again.

"It's time for us to wake up anyways." Rai disappears, as she starts to wake her body up.

Rai opens her eyes and sits up slowly. She blinks and still sees Shippo asleep, with tears streaming from his eyes, soaking the bush under his head. She places her hands over his head. "Mezameru, taisetsu na Shippo-kun."

Slowly he starts to open his eyes and sees Rai through blurred vision. Tears drip from his eyes and roll down his face. "Rai? You just disappeared." He hangs his head, trying to snuffle back his tears. "I thought something grabbed you, just now." Rai embraces him, holding his head just under her chin. Shippo's tears pour down her body, streaming around the rounded shape of her breasts.

She kisses the top of his head. "It's okay. Just let it go. You were so scared. I understand what you're going through. So go ahead and cry as much as you want. I won't think less of you as a man." Shippo weeps bitterly, holding onto Rai.

Rai suddenly releases her embrace. She sits with her knees erect. "Shippo, look away."

"Why should I?" he asks. She starts going on the bush. He shrieks and turns away.

"I wasn't going to be the only dreamer left out."

"Yeah but you're awake and doing that on purpose," he sighs, "It's not fair you get to pee after you wake up."

Rai leaps downs from the huge hedge a short time later. Rai glances around the forest, walking out of the protective barrier. She sees rocky out crops in various places around the forest. She jumps back onto the bush and stands on it. She quickly leaps into the oak tree next to her. She sees beyond one of the out crops pillows of steam rising up from shrouded water, warming the air.

"Shippo, I think I know why else we peed on this bush."

"I noticed the air was warm when we fell asleep. It was warm and moist."

"Past this bush on your side, there's a hot spring. That trickling sound we heard in the dream was really coming from that. You want to take a dip. We're already naked, so what do you say?"

Shippo nods and Rai leaps back down to the ground. She grabs her clothes as well as his and pulls the sword out, dispelling the barrier. She looks around, still seeing the forest vacant of any humans or demons. The only things she sees are a couple of does with their fawns, grazing nearby the hot spring. Overhead, a small flock of songbirds fly into the branches of the two oak trees. Rai spots a nest in a lower branch of the tree next to her side. In the nest, she hears tiny cheeps from the babies, crying out for their mother. She points out the nest to Shippo. He smiles up at them, watching the mother bird feed her babies.

Rai strolls the ground, passing the bushes, heading for the hot spring. Shippo meets her, as he climbs off his side of the bush. He tries to cover himself with his hands, trying to walk past the deer without being spotted.

"What's the matter?" chuckles Rai, "You worried about what these does might see."

"N…no, it's nothing like that," he blushes, obviously lying.

"It's probably nothing they haven't seen before. Those two does have probably seen their husbands' thing. Daily, I would suspect." Rai laughs at him. "Yours is a cute thing. Beautiful, like a god's." "I've spent all that time at the dojo; there were times I saw some of my peers walking around naked. One guy looked like he stole an Asian elephant's trunk. Another guy looked like he built his thing from clay wrapped around an old rotting log."

Shippo chuckles at her story. "You really think I look like a god? To me you look like an angel. I love your smell and the way your ears feel. Your skin is so soft. Your breasts are so perfect. You've got the cutest butt. Your legs are so sexy. I want to touch your body, but I know I shouldn't. That would make me no different than Mirok…" Rai wraps her arms around his neck and silences his voice with a warm, seductive kiss.

"Shippo, you want to? Here? Now?"

"Now? I thought you wanted to wait."

Rai drops her belongings and pulls him to the ground. She lies on top of him, with a bed of soft grass under his head. "You were poking me, so I thought why not."

"I don't want to get you pregnant."

"I'm not in season, so it won't matter. Just shut up and let's do it." He creates a blanket with the grass and fox magic, providing them with some privacy. She pays little attention and kisses him continuously. She smiles, closing her eyes. Rai breathes his scent in, relaxing her body. "Your scent is wonderful. It's the same scent as back in the brothel. That's how I really knew you were in Oji(san)'s village. I followed your scent all the way from Nagasaki."

"You really did? You came to track me down?"

"I'm a dog demon. Isn't it the ability of a dog to track down her prey by following his scent? Especially when it's the sweet scent of a fox."

"I guess. Was falling in love with me another dog trait?"

"You can blame my human heart for that. I'm in love with you, Shippo. Someday, I want to be yours forever. I want to bear children with you. If one day we have to depart for the Netherworld, I want you beside me."

"You want all that? For real?"

"Just picture us, sitting in our own castle. You'll be the lord and I'll be your princess."

"For real? Serio…" she kisses him before he could finish speaking.

Shippo rubs his hands over her soft body, stopping short of her butt. "Shippo, why are you hesitating? You can touch it if you want." He slides his hands cautiously over her butt, squishing it gently with his fingers. "I'll just get you back and play with your tail," she sighs with a seductive smile.

"Is that so?" he asks, seductively.

"You got to play with my ears and butt. It's only fair I get to grab your tail."

"Sure. So huh should we stay like this?"

"What? Are you finished already?"

"I've had a long day. That nap wasn't relaxing at all."

"You liked the end. I wanted to give you that at least."

"Rai. I've got other reasons to stop. Those does are heading this way with their babies. They might get mad at us, maybe even blame us for exposing their kids to such adult stuff."

Rai sighs and sits back up. She stands and offers Shippo a hand up. She picks up their belongings and walks with him to the hot spring. She sets the stuff neatly beside the spring and climbs over the crown of rocks guarding the spring. Shippo follows after her and slides into the hot pool first.

Rai steps delicately in, testing the water with her feet. Suddenly she loses her footing and starts falling into the water. Shippo quickly notices her and catches before she could be seriously hurt. "You okay?"

"That wasn't very graceful, was it? There goes your angelic impression of me," she pretends to pout. Shippo laughs at her, trying to collect himself.

He sets her into the water gently, letting her relax. She smiles calmly, letting the water send her into a state of bliss. Rai dips below the water line, soaking her hair and letting the water clean out her ears. She resurfaces, spitting water from her mouth.

Rai suddenly feels a presence behind her and turn to see a young fawn staring at her. "Hey little guy. Hope you don't mind us here."

She finds a fallen ripe pear on the ground and slices it apart with her claws. She slides out of the water, sitting next to the fawn. She offers him a slice of the fruit. He munches on the sweet fruit, and then noses her for a second piece. Another fawn sees Rai feeding his brother and walks over to her. She finds another pear and offers it to the second fawn. She giggles as they nuzzle her. She pets their faces with her hands.

"Easy, you two. You don't want your mother getting mad," she giggles, being tickled by their noses. One of the does trots over to her. She looks into Rai's eyes, as though smiling at her.

"Pleasure meeting you, ma'am." Rai bows. "Your sons are handsome and very friendly."

The doe looks over at Shippo, sniffing at him. "Hope you're not offended we're in here," replies Shippo, "My girlfriend and I found this hot spring and couldn't resist." The doe smiles and shakes her head.

Rai offers the doe fruit, petting her while she eats it. "You're such a good mother." Rai stands to pet her neck. The doe softly nibbles on Rai's shoulders, kissing her. Shippo watches Rai pet the doe, studying her tender ways. The two fawns look up at Rai treating their mother with such care.

The doe finally steps back and looks down at her boys. She snorts, ordering them to their feet. As the two fawns walk away, the doe bows her head to Rai and Shippo, who smile and bow in return. "That was amazing, Rai."

"Well I've had practice talking to Inazuma. I can talk with any animal, really."

"What really amazes me is she didn't get mad at us. She told us to continue our bath."

"We didn't pose a threat to her boys, so that's why she let us stay here." Rai sits back down, casually.

"Deer are almost never that friendly. You just have a way with animals. Neither InuYasha nor Sesshomaru are like this."

"I can't explain it, but it just comes naturally. I've always been able to talk with animals and make them feel comfortable around me." Rai sighs and looks at Shippo. "When I'm in battle against bandits, I usually try to spare the lives of the horses. I hear what they say and try to relieve them of their human owners. I pray for their souls as well, when they get killed in battle."

"You're a kind person. I've seen traits like this in Rin and Kagome. Perhaps the part that makes you human makes you feel this way. Rin is another that cares for all living things, whether they are human or beast."

Rai starts to climb back into the hot spring, when her nose picks up something. "Shippo, I think we'd better get dressed and head back to the temple."

"Yeah, I smell it too. Off in the distance, to the west of here." Rai releases a tiny portion of her powers, drying off her skin.

"If you step out, I can dry you off too." Shippo complies and stands in front of her. Rai holds out her hands with dragon heat and sweeps over Shippo's body. "Can't beat having a dragon's powers in one's body. It's how my swords work."

"It's interesting. With InuYasha and Kagome, she has a problem seeing him naked. With Sango and Miroku, she hates him touching her in sexual means."

"Like I said, no two relationships are alike. It feels good when you grab my butt, and I think your thing is the prettiest one I've seen on a man."

"We'd better hurry and get our clothes on," hustles Shippo. Both start dressing as fast as the can.

"Last one to finished dressing, gets to pay for dinner tonight," challenges Rai.

"No. Gets to have the winner grab one body part."

"What part did you have in mind?" Rai rolls down the top of her white crisscrossing top, exposing her breasts. "Go ahead and touch them. Get that desire out of your system."

"Really?" He holds out his hands and rubs his fingers around her breasts, like an artist molding a sculpture. He draws his fingers around each breast, and then gently played with her nipples. Rai rolls her eyes and practically melts with his touch.

Rai bites her lip. "You have no idea how good this feels. I'm so glad those deer aren't here right now. Shippo, you can do that whenever you feel like."

"It's like you read my mind. Well almost. I do know how it feels, to be groped and have it feel good. I was also thinking about me."

"Your tail? No, opposite side of the tail," she guesses.

"You can touch both places. Around the others, it can just be the tail. All alone with just us, go ahead."

"I don't know…I don't feel comfortable."

"I won't force you. I'm just saying if you want to, like during sex."

Rai shrugs, "Well, might as well get it over with. Or I won't be comfortable." She hesitates, trying to bring her hand closer to the hem of his pants. She winces nervously. "I c…can't. I just…that dream was much easier than this," she whines.

"Think of something before the rain hits. Here," he grabs her hand and slides it into his pants. "See it's not so bad. That's what your body gets to feel."

"Oh it's soft. Feels like a sponge." She jerks her hand back out.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" asks Shippo.

"N…no. It felt soft. I just won't tell anyone about it."

"It can be our secret, though I don't know how long you can keep it secret around the other girls."

"I'll just tell Oba(san) and Sango about how open our relationship is. Just so open and so…" "I promise I won't tell them everything. It'll be our own secret."

"I see the look in your face. I don't mind if you tell them girl-to-girl. Maybe they can give you advice, or you give them advice on how to approach their men."

"You want me to tell. You're going to tell the guys then."

"Maybe we can keep it a secret. The groping parts, I mean," replies Shippo.

"It's a deal. We won't talk about the private touching. That'll be our secret."

Shippo extends his hand, "You want to shake on the deal." Rai gives him a menacing glare.

Rai grabs his hand, forcing him to embrace her. She locks lips with him, engaging him in a kiss. Just then she props his lips open with hers and slips her tongue in his mouth. His eyes open wide with surprise and excitement. She slides her tongue out slowly, and then pulls it back in her mouth. "That's how we'll make things a deal, my beloved kitsune prince."

The scent of the wind changes to a musty odor. Rai looks overhead in the sky, watching dark clouds rumble in the sky. Rai quickly secures her armor and swords, while Shippo transforms back into a fox. Rai mounts him and the two take off, flying away from the clouds, as fast as possible.

Shippo flies as fast as he can, trying to beat the ominous cloud back to the village. Rai sees the red tiles of Kaede's temple come into view. 'Hold on. Not yet,' Rai prays, as the stubborn storm cloud seems more than eager to beat them. Shippo sees Inazuma following them close behind.

Inazuma closes in and flies along side Shippo. "We know. We smelled the storm coming," replies Shippo.

"Did you do this on purpose?" Rai taunts at Inazuma, giving him a sly look. He neighs and shakes his head. "I see, so this storm isn't your doing. I knew that, I was just yanking your chain."


	7. Chapter 7

Shippo, Rai, and Inazuma close in on the temple and have just enough time to make it inside, before hearing a massive thunder clash overhead. Just then, almost as though the thunder is chiming the announcement, sheets of rain fall all at once. The rain creates a barrier of its own, preventing anyone from exiting the temple.

Rai dismounts Shippo, as he transforms back into his demon form. "Whew, that was close. If we hadn't left the forest sooner, we'd be out in this," pants Shippo.

"Good thing we didn't sleep for the full six hours," sighs Rai.

"How long did we sleep?"

"Only two."

"You're kidding me! That was only two hours in that hellish dream!"

"I had to pulled you out of it. You were freaking out. After the killer bats, it only gets worse. That fall would have us into a pit full of blood and demonic miasma. Then we would have to race through it into a room full of venomous snakes. The dream doesn't stop until you're scared and shaking super bad." Rai sighs and looks into Shippo's eyes. "You think that little tinkle was all you did, you're wrong. By the time you finished the whole dream, your bladder would be as dry as a farmer's field after a killer drought."

"So you cut the dream in half for me. Then you asked Chichi-ue to come."

"I didn't call him. Jii-chan knew you'd be going through that with me, so he thought seeing a familiar face would keep you together."

"But I didn't keep it together. When I saw him, all I could do was cry. Please don't tell…InuYasha…that…"

Rai places her hand over his mouth. "I won't say anything to him. Bet you any money, he's got enough trouble trying to calm Oba(san) down."

Suddenly Rai hears a woman's scream from inside the temple. "That was Kagome!" shrieks Shippo. He scampers towards the direction of the sound, with Rai and Inazuma following him close behind. Shippo spots InuYasha in just his pants holding onto Kagome, who stands naked and shivering in his arms.

"Rai, what the hell did you do?" snaps InuYasha.

"Shippo and I experienced a similar nightmare too. That's the price for going to Hell's Labyrinth. For first timers, first you throw up, and then you experience one of the worst nightmares of your life. There are seven dreams in total."

"So who's responsible? Huh?"

"Inu…Yasha," Kagome replies in a weak voice, "It's not her fault. It was a dream. Someone else was behind this."

"Rakutaka. He's the one who provides you the dreams. They're really a test to see if you can withstand the hardships of going through that cave. It takes a long time, but you have to be willing to go through all the hardships. The dream tests your psyche and spiritual strengths."

"Ours was tested," sighs Shippo, "I was so scared. My worst fear was losing Rai through this. I was made powerless as well. All those years I devoted to improve my fox magic, it was like none of that mattered and I was back to my childish ways. I felt so small."

"Shippo, I had no powers either. Demonic powers don't work in those dreams. You have to rely on your own strength."

"I just…I was so scared…I was so sure I was going to die."

"Shippo," Kagome sighs, "I thought that too. First InuYasha was killed in front of me by a pack of those dead dogs. Then I was left in total darkness filled with ghosts of demons haunting me. They were chasing me, closing in on me. Those dead dogs followed after me, trying to kill me. Then I saw InuYasha returned to me, but he was dead and coming after me. He turned on me. Then…I couldn't run anymore. That's when I started screaming."

"That's what we heard," confirms Rai.

Shippo starts looking at InuYasha's pants. "Uh, what's with the dark stain?"

"What do you mean? Kagome must have rolled over and puked on them."

"No, that sutra I gave her is meant to prevent stomach problems," corrects Rai, "You wet them. I told you that would happen. I said sleep naked over a bed of straw. I didn't say you might pee in your sleep, I said you will."

"Yeah," sneers Kagome, holding her nose, "Take them off and borrow a kimono from Kaede. I'll go home and wash them for you."

"Ain't doing that," he refuses.

"Okay so Sesshomaru comes through to spar with you and he smells your pants…" sighs Kagome.

"I know why he doesn't want take them off," smirks Shippo, "It'd hurt his manhood."

"What's that?" he sneers at Shippo.

"It's plainly written on your face. You're too embarrassed about anyone seeing you naked."

"You were embarrassed too," sighs Rai, "Until I said your body looks like a god's."

"She saw you naked?" Kagome asks in surprise.

"Please don't be mad, but she insisted and then told me I was beautiful," Shippo sighs, with his face turning red.

"Have you seen her naked?" asks Kagome.

"Oba(san), it's okay. We didn't do anything wrong. I even put up a barrier of invisibility so nobody else could see us. I just feel comfortable around Shippo. I don't want to hide myself from Shippo, nor do I want him to hide anything from me."

"Just as she says. I wouldn't do anything to her; you should know that much about me by now, Kagome. Just please don't be angry," Shippo shies away.

"What makes you think I'm angry with you? Shippo, Rai, you ought to be blessed your relationship is that open. I wish InuYasha and I had that much confidence when we seriously started dating. Your love is more concrete and your vision is much clearer."

"So Shippo, you were together with her from the time you left to now before this rain hit," smirks InuYasha, draping his arm over Shippo, leading him away from Rai and Kagome.

"What's that all about?" asks Kagome. Rai stares off into space with a serene smile on her face.

"We didn't dream the whole time. Had we stayed asleep, we would have been caught. That barrier only protects us from on-lookers. It can't shield you from rain. I'm afraid if we were rained on, we'd be sick for real and you couldn't blame Hell's Labyrinth on that."

"Yeah so what did you do? Come on, you can tell me. You don't even have to call me Oba(san) this time. Just call me Kagome."

"Okay, Kagome," Rai blushes, "We were close to a really awesome hot spring. We took advantage of a bath. Then we met a doe and her fawns. The fawns were really cute and friendly."

"Yeah, Rai you're not telling me everything. Why is InuYasha suddenly interested in a man-talk with Shippo? That's not like him at all."

"Well uh…we sort of relived the moment we met in Nagasaki. We were on the ground, between the bush we slept on and the hot spring. Well he was still shaking from the dream, so I kissed him to calm him down…then…uh. Please don't get mad. We sort of…"

"You made love," sighs Kagome. Rai blushes and stares at the ground.

"I couldn't help it. Don't worry; I'm not in season. It just happened. We had sex."

Kagome smiles at her, "What are you ashamed of? It's not like I'm one to talk. InuYasha's awesome in bed. When we have sex, it's just so incredible. It feels so good. I feel like a new woman the next morning."

Rai sighs in relief. "Do you do everything?"

"We do it all. We even love guilty pleasures." Kagome leans forward and whispers into Rai's ears. "It's okay if you grab it. Puts him in heaven immediately."

Rai blushes redder. "I don't know what you…mean," she lies with her voice fading with every word. 'Damn it, don't say it. You tongue kissed and promised.' "If I break the deal…"

"What deal?"

"N…nothing. Never m…mind."

"You touched him, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you mean," Rai twirls her hair with her fingers. "It was his…tail I played with," she lies. "He wanted to rub my ears, too."

"Rai, it's okay. If you touch him there, your man melts like butter. When I rub it, InuYasha becomes so soothed that his leg shakes. He wants me to continue. It's the same reaction I get when I let him pet my breasts. When he does it to me, all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Naughty pleasures might be inappropriate, but damn do they feel good, especially when it's just you and your lover."

"So Oba…I mean Kagome, what do you think InuYasha will do to him? What about…I can't let Chichi-ue know about this. He'll kill Shippo, I just know it," Rai starts to shake and cry. "I don't want Chichi-ue to kill Shippo." She collapses into Kagome's arms. "What am I going to do if he ever found out?" Rai weeps.

"Rai. I've known Sesshomaru for quite some time. InuYasha says Sesshomaru sees himself in you. The way InuYasha describes it, it's like you fight on equal terms with your father, even refusing to back away in the heat of battle, even upon his command. Sesshomaru must know you're a woman who never makes herself appear vulnerable to her enemies." "Sesshomaru also knows Shippo. He knows Shippo isn't the type to take advantage of women. At times he even sees Shippo as a worthy ally. You might want to meet with him together and tell him you are a couple. Let Sesshomaru know whom you've chosen to spend your life with. Perhaps he might see great benefits from that. If this relationship between you and Shippo ends up working out and you marry…maybe I'm thinking too far ahead."

"We've thought of that possibility. It's not like I don't want to have Shippo's baby. Some time in the future, I'd want to bear him a son. Maybe he could stay in his son's life longer than his father stayed in his." Rai looks up at her. "Kagome, I met his father."

"Shippo's father? Really?"

"I didn't have the heart to make him finish the whole dream, so I ended it with Shippo reuniting with his father."

"Rai, that was a wonderful thing you did. I think that part will stick in Shippo's mind most of all. Was he a ghost?"

"Shippo was able to be held by him. He cried as hard as he could in his father's arms."

"I'll bet so. I'll bet he'll love you for arranging something like that."

"When we woke up, I held him close. I let him cry as much as he wanted."

"How nice of you. What an excellent girlfriend you are. How long did that last?"

"Five minutes. Then I told him to look the other way…well I wasn't going to be left out. We were sitting on a bush, so whatever."

Kagome laughs at her, "Again, I'm not one to talk. When I fell asleep in that tub, it was clean and crystal clear. When I woke up, the water was all murky and smelled like an unflushed toilet."

"You might want to wash yourself off too. I think after the rain stops you might go outside. I think I saw a waterfall not too far from here."

"Thanks."

"Um how are you feeling?" asks Rai.

"I'm feeling okay. I'm still a little queasy."

"The spell I put on you doesn't last forever. You might feel sicker later on."

"I thought you made me well."

"That was so you wouldn't get sick in your sleep. I didn't think you wanted that. But I recommend not eating or doing anything crazy tonight. Postpone whatever plans you have made. This will go away by morning, but tonight, I recommend before you go to sleep to keep a bucket beside your head. You might also…"

"I've been sick before. I had the stomach flu back in January in my time. I couldn't keep anything down. It was like I was chained to the toilet."

"Well at least here, it'll go away and you most likely won't throw up as much. It'll feel like you drank too much. Trust me, if you throw up again, it won't be anything like what you experienced earlier. You might not even throw up at all. It all depends how tolerant you are. If you've got a strong stomach, then it won't be a big deal."

Sango walks through wearing a white kimono. She looks at Rai and Kagome with tired eyes. "You're up too? What kind of dream was that? I feel more tired now than when I fell asleep."

"Where's Miroku?"

"Standing outside in the rain. It's actually a very warm rain. He says he feels less nauseous out bathing in it."

"I warned Kagome to keep a bucket under her head tonight. Miroku should as well. That spell was meant to keep him from getting sick on himself while enduring the tortures of the dream."

"So, Rai. What did you guys do? I walked by InuYasha and Shippo, and those two were in this deep conversation. It was like they were comparing notes on who has the hottest lover. InuYasha shooed me away with a huge smile on his face, almost laughing. The only time he gets this way is after having hot sex with you, Kagome."

Kagome sighs, blinking her eyes. "Are you okay?" asks Sango. Kagome suddenly races out the temple's front entrance, with her hand clamped over her mouth.

Rai looks at Sango and both follow after Kagome. "She's still naked. I'm going to stand guard behind her," replies Rai. She immediately spots Inazuma following Kagome outside.

"Yeah and I'm going to help hold her hair back," replies Sango.

Rai and Sango race out of the temple, ignoring the rain and see Inazuma standing over Kagome with her hair in his teeth in front of a tree. Immediately Rai and Sango look away while Kagome pukes. Kagome presses her hands against the tree, as she creates a puddle on the ground.

"Hate to see her suffering like this," sighs Sango.

"Yeah, but you have to go through this when you enter Hell's Labyrinth. I was like this for six years. At first it is brutal, but overtime your body and soul become accustom to the training. I started training when I was six. Then by the time I was twelve, I just didn't get sick anymore."

"Does everyone go through this, even demons?"

"Jii-chan told me Chichi-ue went through the same harsh training. Chichi-ue won't admit this, but he got sick at first. Then he had one of the seven nightmares."

"When I woke up, the straw I was sleeping on was soaked and stunk of urine."

"That's how scary the dreams get. It's a guarantee, you'll get scared, and you'll wet whatever you're sleeping on."

Kagome sighs deeply, as she stand up slowly. "Thanks, Inazuma, for covering over me. You have no idea how big of a help you are."

"Are you feeling better?" asks Sango.

"Much better than earlier, actually. I didn't as big a mess as I did this last winter. I was on this side that first day and just got sick. I was outside the house, standing in the snow, making the biggest mess I could."

"I didn't think it'd be huge," replies Rai. "After your first huge throw up, like you had when your soul returned to your body, whatever happens afterwards are just small throw-ups like what you just did. They only come in short waves, and as the night continues, these throw-ups dwindle to nothing more than a violent cough."

"Will I be fine in the morning?"

"By then you might be hungry. I don't know if this would be a drawback but your desire to eat might be like if you've never seen food in your life."

"I felt like that when I was pregnant with InuYuzu."

"Me too, with Hitaku."

"Who's that?"

"Miroku and Sango's son. He's off training in the northeast to become a monk like his father."

"He's even as bad at lechery as Miroku."

"So he goes after a pretty girl too," replies Rai, "He's determined to spread that habit for several generations."

"I don't think we have to worry about Hitaku. He's not after girls, if you know what I mean," sighs Sango.

"He's gay?" asks Kagome with a surprised voice.

"Yeah, he wrote us a letter saying he's into other men."

"That certainly bites it for Miroku," chuckles Kagome.

Rai looks around and sees two villagers approaching the shrine, wearing umbrella hats. "We'd better get inside, guys." Rai shields Kagome with the skirt portion of her outfit. Inazuma stays behind, creating a centralized storm cloud with his hooves.

"What's he doing?" asks Kagome.

"Don't worry about Inazuma, he's staying behind to wash away that puke mess you made." She turns Kagome to see the two village women. "I don't think those two would like it much if they saw that disgusting puddle on such holy ground."

The three women walk back to the temple. They see Miroku in a white kimono sitting with Shippo.

"Feeling better, dear monk?" asks Sango. "When you woke up you looked pale."

"I feel fine, but while I was washing my body in the rain, I got sick again."

"So did I. Rai says these after affects are no big deal."

"This reminded me of this one time I drank way too much sake. I had a really bad hangover."

"After that major throw up, whatever you suffer later on is nothing. Feels exactly like a hangover except without the migraine," informs Rai.

"You experienced this for six year?"

"I had to. Jii-chan trained my ghost to get through the entire mountain, from the entrance to where the Jukon resides. He started training me when I was six. It took me six years to ease my stomach. Both body and soul have to be ready for the challenge."

"What about now?" asks Shippo. "You peed on that bush on purpose."

"I've gotten to the point with these dreams where I don't have accidents. I wake up with a dry bed. I think that steam from the hot spring triggered it."

"No surprise there," replies Kagome. "Whenever I'm walking by a hot spring, the steam pouring out plus the sound of trickling water makes me have to go."

"So you aren't scared of the dreams and you don't get sick after visiting that cave. It takes fourteen years to get used to it," replies Shippo.

"That would explain Nakuhebi's reluctance to tour the cave," thinks Sango.

"And it would have explained Naraku's refusal to check out the Jukon. If it meant he would suffer in such a harsh place," replies Miroku, "He was smart not to even make a move with this huge obstacle in the way."

"I heard from Chichi-ue and Jii-chan that this Naraku was a human-based demon. He made an exchange with his body for their demonic powers. He became the ultimate evil of this world."

"He did. For fifty years he was the ultimate power," replies Sango.

"It wouldn't matter in that cave. Compared to Naraku, this cave would do even him in if he let it. Even if he could get through without vomiting, the nightmares are so intense that it would drive an ordinary man insane. That's usually how Rakutaka keeps people away. First your stomach gets sick, then the dream he gives you scares you into a heart attack, if he lets the dream get that bad."

"It's that bad?" asks Miroku in surprise.

"You remember that man we saw, outside the cave. I'll bet he didn't even get through the entrance. The horrors were so great and the air so foul that he didn't even go in before turning back to throw up just a hundred feet from the cave. You guys were lucky to make it as far as you did."

"What was that noise Miroku and Kagome claim to have heard? I never heard it," replies Shippo.

"I almost heard it," informs Sango, "It wasn't very loud."

"I heard it and it was deafening," comments Kagome.

"Same with me," replies Miroku.

"What you heard wasn't a demon. Just because you're away from your body, doesn't mean you're completely severed from it. The only way you wouldn't need to return is if it died. That sloshing noise is from your stomach. If the sound is loud, then you have thirty minutes to enter your body, wake up, and fine the biggest pit or ravine you can find to hang your face over. When you said that, I told Shippo to hurry with me back to the temple. I transformed that wall into a door. Then when InuYasha arrived back he helped Shippo hold Miroku's body and I asked Kaede to help with Kagome's body. So glad we made it with time to spare." Rai sighs, "If we didn't return in the thirty-minute window of time, your bodies would have reacted anyways like a time bomb. All that vomit would be all over your bodies." The entire group turns their noses up in disgust. "I didn't think you'd want to come home to your bodies covered in that disgusting crap."

"So we should be grateful. You've been through this for so long that you knew what to do."

"What happened when you trained?" asks Shippo.

"Between the time when I started training at six all the way to twelve, I had to go through the entire route with my ghost. The whole thing is ten miles of maze and it takes a full three days to get through it, even in ghost form. All the time I was training, Rakutaka would send a few of his subordinates to help with my body. One of them would possess it, while the other two fed me and gave me clean water to drink. They had it cleaned out. When I heard that noise, they heard it too. They would take my body over to a deep gully and hold it there. The one who possessed my body would have it throw up in my place. Afterwards, they would clean the teeth and feed it white berries."

"How many times did you get sick?" asks Miroku.

"First few times, twenty times. As time went on, I got used to going through the training and puked fewer and fewer times. By the time I was twelve, the puking just stopped."

"After a training section, then you had these awful nightmares?" asks Sango.

"The night I returned to my body, I was given these horrible nightmares. Rakutaka isn't completely done with you when you leave the cave. First he puts your body and soul through the harsh training, then he trains your psyche and spirit, seeing if you can stand the mind training. When I went to sleep, I would spend the night in a barn filled with just straw. My sensei had the barn separate from the dojo. It never failed, when I woke up, I found the straw soaked in my urine. That's because of the serious post-traumatic stress you suffer from the dream. There's not just one dream, but seven. The central theme of the dreams is death. Which possible way one could die."

"So that's the reason for the dreams, testing what death you fear the most," replies Miroku. "I didn't make it in my dream. Sango was walking through the cave with me, when suddenly we got separated. Next thing I heard was her screaming and watched her being dragged away by one of those dead dogs. Then the floor of the cave turned into a damn Kazana like the one that used to be in my hand, only someone was sucking me in. I was being torn to pieces. When I was shot through that Kazana, I had just one full leg and my skin ripped off my hands. I tried to run somewhere, but everywhere I went, what remained of my right leg bled, leaving a scent for those damn dogs to follow. Just then I rounded a corner and found Sango dead, with those dogs ripping her apart." Miroku hangs his head, with tears dripping out of his eyes, "I couldn't do anything to save her. I tried, but then I was overwhelmed and watched my own body being de…" Shippo leans over embracing Miroku. "I…" Miroku's face reddens and he shields his eyes with his right hand. "The worst part was seeing my beloved Sango dead." He starts to sob. "How…can…I? What kind of a man would let his beloved wife be ma…?"

Sango runs over and embraces Miroku. "I thought I lost you too." Sango shields his face, trying to muffle the sound of his mournful sighs.

"I don't want to lose you," he utters between sobs.

"I don't want to lose you either, my beloved monk." Sango steps onto the porch while holding him, and then walk back with him through the open door of the temple.

"Is that the other point of the dream?" asks Kagome, "Watching someone you love getting killed?"

"That's one of the fears that you generate. Rakutaka takes that into account and customized the dream to your greatest fears and paranoias. He's trying to find out how tough your stamina is to torture, even if it's only fabricated."

"You mean the traps in that cave are fake?" asks Shippo.

"They're very real. When you go through the cave, you'll find a whole village of ghosts. That couple we saw were among the ghosts who tried the test. However they only made it that far before a dog killed both of them. Now they stay there, offering visitors rest and tea if you want. You'll find most ghosts are friendly like that. They live in the cave to serve as aids. Sometimes being down there can get lonely, so it actually feels comforting to have ghosts to keep you company. That old couple we met, I used to think of her like a sweet granny. She's always offering food, tea, and a place to stay. Merle loves hearing stories from living spirits. I wish we could have stayed. If I wanted us to stay longer, I could have asked Jii-chan to have Rakutaka's subordinates take over your bodies. They would see to whatever maintenance you need. They would make sure if you had to throw up, they would take your bodies over to the gullies themselves."

"I might consider that," replies Shippo, "I'm very interested in this labyrinth anyways."

"I'm just curious about what this Jukon is," ponders Kagome, "I know InuYasha's curious about it, especially if it came out of his father. Sesshomaru has passed this deity's test. Those two brothers are always trying to one-up each other. InuYasha won't admit this, but I know he's jealous Sesshomaru has seen the jewel and he didn't."

"What has me curious is how he didn't seem affected by the cave," ponders Rai, "He didn't hear that noise like you and Miroku did."

"Sango said she heard it too. Why didn't she puke?" asks Kagome.

"She said it was only slight. It wasn't loud enough. She must be more tolerant of the environment. When did you start hearing it?"

"For me it started out tiny, right when we were watching that dog tearing up that puppet. I didn't say anything because it didn't seem all that noticeable. Then when we were talking two that couple, that's when it was getting louder. By the time we were on our way back to the temple, it became so loud I couldn't hear anything else."

"When it gets loud, the thirty-minute window of time clicks on. At the same time it became deafening, Kaede and I had your body already positioned over the ravine with your mouth open. That's when it's going to come. Then the time is almost at thirty seconds. It was only perfect timing for your soul to enter your body. You could have lingered outside and watch it happen."

"I was curious why you had my body and Miroku's positioned like that."

"He actually started puking before he entered the body," informs Shippo, "He leaped back in, in the middle of the huge lurch. It seemed like we were emptying pots of rotten porridge. Smelled like…"

"Don't describe it, dear, unless you want Kagome to get sick again and want me joining her. I'm all too familiar with how it smells."

Miroku walks back through with Sango at his side. "You feeling better?" asks Rai.

Kaede comes outside, carrying tea. "I've made a batch of ginger tea for you all. I know how sore your stomachs are now. This should sooth them."

"Bless you," sighs Sango. "It smells wonderful."

"You should also eat carefully," recommends Rai. "Chicken soup is great for stomach upset. I'll fix you some if you like."

"I can go home if you want," offers Kagome, "I've got cans of chicken soup."

"You're still sick," sighs Rai, "If you leave for anywhere now, you might make yourself get sick."

"She's right. You're not one hundred percent yet," scolds Shippo, "If you go home, who's to say you won't throw up the minute you get out of that well."

"I've given one of your neighbors a bush of white berries to grow. I've got more seeds. I can grow them outside this temple. They're found all over Mount Hiei and grow overnight. I've also got fresh berries with me in the handle of Naosusaiga. They don't rot because the energy from the sword keeps them fresh."

"Where do we sleep? Here or at the house?" asks Miroku.

"You're welcome to stay here," offers Kaede, "I do want you and Kagome to stay here, since you were the ones who got sick out there."

"I'll go back to the house," replies Sango. "I don't feel sick at all. I think InuYasha should to, since he doesn't handle Kagome being sick very well."

"What about you, Shippo?" asks Kaede, "You and Rai don't seem affected by what happened."

"I feel hungry actually," chimes Shippo.

"You know what. I can cook this chicken soup for Kagome and Miroku," offers Kaede, "Why don't you take Rai out? There's a ramen shop that's just open up. A sweet old man, Raniku owns it and is always looking for folks to sample his cooking."

"I've got some gold with me," shrugs Shippo. He steps off the porch and walks over to Rai. He takes Rai by the hand. "This will be our first date. I want to treat you." He lifts her hand to his mouth and kisses it. Rai nods with a small tear on her cheek. Shippo takes his arm and wraps it around her shoulders, and walks with her towards the steps leading down Kikyo's hill.

Kagome sighs after them, remembering back to when she and InuYasha were like that. InuYasha walks out, wearing a white robe. He watches Shippo escort Rai down the hill. "Shippo, you'd better take care of her. That's my only niece you're with."

"He reminds me of you," smiles Kagome, "When you came around to me and fell in love…Shippo's got the same look in his eyes for Rai."

"You really think Shippo's like me?"

"I see it too," smiles Miroku, "The way he feels about his woman. The way he loves her with all his heart."

"He cries for her, loves her, and kisses her," sighs Kagome, sipping her tea, "They live only for each other."

At the bottom of the hill, Rai looks into Shippo's eyes. She sees a veil of sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"I know that look. You're worried about something."

"I just wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'm so afraid I'll revisit that place."

"You might remember but maybe it won't come up. Rakutaka made you dream that, but he won't make you relive it again. Well not until you visit the cave again."

"I'm just so nervous. I…"

Rai steps in front of him and embraces him. "I'll sleep next to you if you'd like. I want to give you a peaceful dream. I promise you; I won't make you wet the bed. You won't have to be scared."

Shippo closes his eyes and holds her tightly. He inhales her scent, feeling soothed and relaxed. 'Can't tell you how much I love you at this moment. You've came into my life at just the right moment.'

'Shippo, let's never go our separate ways again. I want to see where this path in life takes us.' She perks her ears up, listening to his heart. She starts to close her eyes when she also hears his stomach interrupting the sound of his heart rhythm. "You really are starving. You're not making that part up at all."

"I told you. I haven't eaten since breakfast, and certainly not before that damn dream."

"I made sure you didn't before going to that cave. Sometimes wetting your bed isn't the only thing. I had to seriously wake up a few times because my ass was calling."

"You cooked wisely. None of that food does that. I've had curry for breakfast once."

"Not a good idea. I make it, but not when I know I'm going send folks to that cave."

Shippo smiles and walks with Rai down the dirt road through the village. About a couple miles into the heart of the town, they spot the ramen shop as Kaede mentioned. Behind the counter, a little old man with a baldhead and a braided white beard stands, washing off his counter. He wears a simple brown kimono with rolled-up sleeves and a white Lenin apron extending the entire front of his body.

Shippo escorts Rai to a stool and sits himself on a stool beside her. "Good evening young folks. What can I get you?"

"Ojisan, Kaede-dono told us you recently opened a shop here. We came by to taste your food," chimes Rai.

"You want anything to drink?" he asks.

"Green tea," answers Shippo.

"Same here," replies Rai. "So how's business going?"

"It's okay. I opened this place two weeks ago. I had customers at first, but then I don't understand it. Lately business has been terrible. Only a handful show up."

Rai smells the steam rising from his cooking pots. "May I taste it, ojisan?"

"Please call me Raniku, young lady," he requests as he serves Rai and Shippo each a small bowl of ramen.

Rai picks up a pair of chopsticks and starts sampling his food. Rai closes her eyes and puts her chopsticks down. "Ojisan, your ramen has no flavor to it. I can see the noodles and the beef, but where's the vegetables? It's got nothing interesting. It's plain."

Raniku nods with a sad look in his eyes. "Sorry, this is the first time I've opened up a business. I know very little about cooking. I'm an old man with nothing to show for my life. I just wanted to contribute to the community. I wish my wife were alive. She was an excellent cook."

"Sorry to hurt your feelings, but if I lied to you then it'd hurt even worse. Raniku, you can still improve your cooking. You need better ingredients. Where's your market?"

"It's just around the corner from my shop, just about three blocks away. But I've got very little money; I only bought what I could afford."

"I've got plenty of gold, plus some red jewels with me. Those jewels have a value of a hundred gold each. I'll buy the ingredients for you," offers Rai.

Raniku nods quietly. "Shippo, could you watch his shop? I'll give you something really special."

"Looking forward to this 'surprise'," Shippo replies with a seduced look on his face. Rai drapes her arms around his shoulders, kissing him on his neck. Shippo turns around in his seat and exchanges kisses with her. The last of the kisses has them together for about a minute. They withdraw slowly, reluctantly parting lips. Raniku looks at the two, smiling with reminiscing eyes.

Rai finally parts from Shippo and follows the old man further into town, towards the market. "You're just like what it was like when Tsuko and I were young. I felt so blessed our parents had us betrothed. She was the love of my life. We spent every waking moment together. Then a year ago, she succumbed to a wavering illness and was taken from me. Her death just didn't seem real; it still doesn't." He stares at the ground, looking away from Rai.

Rai embraces the old man. She looks straight into his eyes. "I understand. You opened your shop because you won't be around too long. I can smell the scent of illness that cloaks you."

"You've got sharp eyes and a good nose. You're like that hanyou dog, InuYasha."

"Well he's my uncle. I'm hanyou too."

"I heard his brother, Sesshomaru, had a skilled samurai for a daughter. You're the young lady who saved this village from an army of thieves." He sighs deeply. "I suppose since you're a hanyou dog, I have no way to hide the truth from you. Can you blame me? I want to give the other villagers here one more lasting memory of me before I go. I want to make the best ramen these folks had when Tsuko was alive. I just want us to be remembered. But I'm so poor. I can't even buy the best ingredients."

Rai holds him, shedding tears for him. "So sorry. You must be in so much pain now. One of my swords, Naosusaiga, has the power to heal your pains and sustain your life longer."

"Thanks for the offer to extend my life, but I must decline. I want to see Tsuko again. I want to go to where she is. All the pain tells me is I'll be able to see her again soon."

Rai stoops down and hoists Raniku's body up, carrying him in her arms. "Least I can do is carry you to the marketplace. Can I do that for you?"

"Young lady," he smiles at her, "Sorry I can't cry. I want to, but… these old eyes haven't cried in years. Guess Buddha's telling me I don't have to cry anymore."

Tears flood Rai's eyes. "I can do that for you too." She carries him to the market stand, allowing the tears to pour down her cheeks. She sets the man down, only then to act as a crutch for him.

A dark-haired woman stands behind the counter, as the two customers approach her. "Raniku-jii, you're back. I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money. I gave you what I could."

"I'm buying what he needs," informs Rai. "I want him to have a good meal the whole village can enjoy. I've got gold and rubies."

"You mean you've got ruby shards too? Those things are worth a fortune."

"May I see them please?" asks Rai. The shopkeeper ducks behind the counter for a few minutes.

While the woman searches, Rai notices Sango's presence behind her. "What are you doing down here?"

"I just had to get away for a while. Miroku got sick again. Kagome's fine, just had to use Kaede's toilet."

"How badly did Miroku get sick this time?" asks Rai.

"Not nearly as bad from when he washed himself off in that rain. Strangest thing was, it's like he puked for a few minutes then it stopped abruptly."

"I didn't think it would last long. Throughout the night, Kagome and Miroku will get better. If either one gets sick again, the amount they throw up will decrease. By midnight, it should be down to just a very violent cough. By morning, it'll be like this day never happened."

"It's a good thing you told Kagome to stay here. Back last winter she had that nasty influenza. I heard the moment she got home, she threw up in the well. She was so weak; InuYasha said she could barely climb out. Then she was home for the rest of the week."

The shopkeeper stands back up with a medium leather bag. "Someone gave me this bag in exchange for food." Rai opens the bag and dumps out all the red jewels.

"Among these jewels is a handful with a great demonic aura. Do you have a bowl or cup handy?"

"You can't have them. I've been given these jewels," the woman protests.

"There are jewel shards hidden among this pile. I'm counting forty dull ones. Those are the ones giving off the aura. If you don't let me take them, then a man going by the name Nakuhebi will. And he'll do what it takes to get them, even kill you in the process."

Sango removes her red tortoise-shell shoulder pad from under her kimono. Rai gets straight to work, gathering the dull-looking jewel shards. Rai shows the shopkeeper one of the dull shards. "Ma'am, be extremely careful of these shards. These are the shards the enemy wants. The shards are dull and unattractive. They barely have any red color in them. But these are the very shards you may not keep. Please give them to the demon-slayers in this village."

"Like Kagome-sama," sighs the woman, "Where is she, at the house by Kikyo's hill?"

"Not tonight," informs Sango. "Both she and Miroku aren't feeling well. They…"

"Caught that nasty bug that's been going around here," lies Rai.

"I see. My husband's sick too. He's been throwing up all day. I just got over it myself. I'm still tired from it. Our next-door neighbors had it too last week." Rai pulls all forty pieces of the Crimson Jewel and fills the shoulder pad. She pulls out her Hono'osaiga six inches from its sheath and quickly slides the shards down inside the sheath.

Once she takes all the shards in Sango's armor, she scans over the remaining pile of jewels. "Now the aura has been lifted, you may keep the rest of them. The really shiny shards are yours to do as you wish. Perhaps use them for buying peppermint or ginger for your husband's tea. If you see anymore dull shards tonight, please bring them by this old man's shop. Shippo and I will be staying with him tonight."

"Awfully kind of you, young lady. I don't have much to offer you."

"I want to help you out. Your time is almost coming. It might be tonight. Maybe this will be the last meal you'll ever cook for this village." Rai turns to the shopkeeper. "I would like fresh carrots, onions, snap peas, beef, basil, fresh ramen noodles, water chestnuts, curry powder…"

"Which kind of curry, hot or sweet?"

"A little of both."

"Anything else?"

"Any fruit? I see you've got fresh pineapples. Can I buy a few?"

"Anything else?"

"That'll be all," replies Rai.

"That'll be 1500 gold."

"I've got 700 gold and 8 ruby shards. Each shard is worth 100 gold."

"I'll take both of them." Rai unhinges the jewel on her belt and removes both the money and the shards. The shopkeeper walks back into the store with the list of requested items.

"So Sango-sama, I guess the monk won't be praying with me tonight. I'll never see him again."

"Tomorrow, he'll be fine. He can pray with you then."

"What if tonight is it? I don't want to be alone. I don't have much time left."

"I'll pray with you in his place," smiles Rai, "Perhaps Shippo and I can stay beside you tonight."

"Jii-chan, you're leaving us tonight?" shrieks the shopkeeper, dropping the bag of requested food.

"I have to, Carmen. I want to make you the same ramen your grandmother made."

The shopkeeper drops to her knees. "Jii-chan, please don't talk like this. You're going to be fine. The doctor said you'd be just fine."

"The monk here said my time's coming. InuYasha's niece says the same thing. InuYasha himself sensed it this last week. Both those hanyou dogs have keen noses for these things."

Rai crawls over the counter and kneels before Carmen. "If you want, you can join us in this ramen stew your grandfather wants to make." Rai picks up the sack of food and hands it over to Sango. Rai climbs back over the counter and hoists the old man again in her arms.

"You're nothing like InuYasha. You look like him, but you're nothing like him," replies Carman, as she closes her shop and follows Sango and Rai.

"I'm his niece, Rai."

"Carmen, this young woman is the daughter of that dog demon, Sesshomaru-sama. That's the demon I was telling you about."

"Sesshomaru?" asks a bearded man, overhearing Raniku and the three women protecting him. "You're his musume, woman? But you're much kinder than he."

"She must have her mother's personality," Carmen comments to the man. Rai soon notices a small gathering of villagers following her. She hears murmuring among them about her.

Shippo walks towards them and helps Sango with the sack-load of food. Rai, Shippo, and Sango walk inside the old man's hut. Rai sets Raniku back on his feet, as Sango and Shippo do the same with the food. Shippo finds a clean cooking pot and gets straight to work filling it with water from the well behind Raniku's shop. Rai immediate starts chopping vegetables. Shippo returns with the large heavy cooking pot filled with water and sets it over the roaring fire pit, starting the boiling process. Raniku prepares the meat, heating it over a heating plate. Sango takes the old stew, dumping outside on the ground for the village dogs to feast on.

Sango returns and helps to prepare the noodles. As Sango begins to boil the noodles, she stares into the boiling pot. Rai looks over at her. "Are you feeling okay?"

Sango shakes her head violently. "I'm fine. I'm not sick. Why didn't I get sick?"

"That sloshing sound you were hearing wasn't loud enough. Nobody gets sick if it's that low. It'd feel like a mere stomachache."

"That's what it was. It hurts a little. Maybe eating this ramen will help it." She looks at Rai. "Why are you crying?"

"Same reason you are. I've been chopping onions."

"Of course. Onions are in this ramen. What's that supposed to do?"

"Adds to the flavor. Fresh ripe onions are great in cooking."

"I guess I was wrong," sighs the old man, "These onions are letting me cry."

Rai drains the juices from the meat and adds the juices from the pineapple to create a sauce. "Shippo, please drain the noodles. I'll add the hot and sweet curries in the sauce and marinate the meat back in." She gives Raniku a small taste of the stew using a small ladle for him to sip from.

"Tastes just how Tsuko used to make it. This is her famous ramen. It's like she's with me."

"It's because she was telling me how to make it," sighs Rai, "I've got the ability to talk to the departed."

"Tsuko, are you here?" She appears as a ghost before the old man. Tears fill the old man's eyes.

"She says you'll be at her side again. Maybe tonight."

Rai appears with the old man behind the counter. She counts out about one hundred villagers gathering around the ramen shop. She senses Crimson Jewels among the gathering. Suddenly her eyes spot InuYasha among the villagers.

"I thought you and Shippo were just going out for dinner. What's all this?"

"This would be Raniku's last meal," replies Miroku, standing behind InuYasha.

"Why aren't you in bed? I thought you were still sick," gripes InuYasha.

"What he has is almost over and it isn't contagious," answers Rai, "Besides this ramen has healing properties. I'd still eat it slowly, however."

Raniku sees Kaede and Kagome upon Inazuma's back. "This smell alone is taking my nausea away," sighs Kagome, "I couldn't be the only on sitting up there anyways."

"I started making chicken soup, when this scent drifted up the hill," replies Kaede, "InuYasha took off in the direction of this wonderful scent."

Raniku looks out, trying to snuffle tears back. "What do we do for bowls? I've only got enough to serve twenty people."

"Don't worry, ojisan," responds a man's voice, "We've got our own bowls."

"We've got gold to pay you," replies a woman.

"Instead of gold, please pay us in all the dull red shards you have in your possession," requests Rai. "You do that and demons won't be plaguing your houses tonight."

Sango sticks her head out and whispers to Rai. "The ramen is ready. If you put the dull shards in your bowls, then you'll receive ramen in exchange." Bowls are given one-by-one to Rai. She quickly removes the shards and places them in an empty leather pouch she finds under the counter. She sends the empty bowls back to Shippo, who fills them with ramen. Sango takes the filled bowls and returns them to the villagers. Each villager takes out his or her set of chopsticks, preparing to eat.

Some sit upon stools to eat, while more sit on the grass. Among the crowd, sits children with their parents, sharing in the ramen from their parents' bowls. After awhile the entire village relaxes with full stomachs around the tiny ramen shop. Rai counts out 145 shards to add to her collection.

Miroku smiles and looks at Rai. "I can't believe this. It's like the nausea I had up at the temple, you erased it. What did you do?"

"It's got pineapple in the recipe. I know that fruit has healing properties for a sour stomach. Plus I secretly added the juices from those white berries from Mount Hiei. That's also great on healing stomachs."

"That was great," replies a woman.

"We also must thank the old man. We really enjoyed this."

Rai looks over at him, and sees him sitting on a stool with his eyes open. She places her hand over his mouth. "Miroku, Kaede, do me a favor, pray for him one more time." She closes his eyes and holds his body in her arms.

Miroku places his right hand on Raniku's head. "Please let this man rest in your arms, O Holy Buddha. He's gone home to live with you. Please let his passage be a safe one."

"When did he die?" asks Sango.

"I felt him go while we were feeding these people," sighs Shippo, "He saw his wife's ghost. He must have waited until everyone had a bowl filled with his ramen before joining her in the afterlife."

Silence fills the crowd, with only sharp cries from infants breaking through the quietness, as though they are crying out for the rest of the villagers.

Rai carries him back into his hut lays his body on a straw bed. Sango watches over him as Rai returns to the counter and dumps the contents of the leather bag down inside the Hono'osaiga's sheath. Shippo looks at her face, and then grabs her by the hand. "What should I do with this food?" asks Sango in a quiet voice.

"Store the unused portions, as much as you can," whispers Shippo. "Rai and I want time alone."

"Perhaps you can take over his business, Rai. Serve it in his honor," suggests Sango, as she watches Miroku walk into the old man's house.

"I'll think about that," replies Rai, in a half-hearted smile. Shippo walks her out and leads her away from the village. He quickly transforms into a fox and carries her into a vast rural area.

He transforms back into a demon as Rai dismounts him. They stand together on a grassy knoll, overlooking a farmer's field. A blanket of stars bedazzles the clear sky. The full moon floods the land with light, trying to imitate the sun during the daylight hours.


	8. Chapter 8

Rai stares out, watching the stars creating constellations in the sky. "This…is such a…beauti…ful. Just…" Shippo embraces her, wrapping his arms around her. He says nothing, just holds her, shielding her face from the light of the moon. "I should have saved him…Why didn't I? Oji(san) must hate me for not saving his life."

"No, it was his time. You saved his memory. People will remember this party around Raniku's ramen shop for years. They'll remember the man who delighted them in his final moments with his cooking. More than that, his wish to be remembered will be fulfilled."

"So sorry I left you like that. I just wanted to help him make real his final wish." Rai bursts out, crying in Shippo's arms.

"It's okay. I was happy to help him too. Sango as well. Rai, you're an incredible woman. You care for others before your own happiness."

"Like Haha-ue?"

"How about this is your trait. This trait belongs to Rai. This is your heart, your traits. This is who you are. I'm not in love with Rin. I'm only in love with you, Rai." Shippo embraces her tightly. For the longest time, Shippo embraces her, letting her cry. Slowly she calms down and embraces Shippo, once again being soothed by the sound of his heart. Finally she sits with him on the hilltop. She reclines beside him, feeling the warmth coming off his body.

"Rai, do you think Miroku and Kagome will feel better after eating that ramen?" Shippo hears no response from Rai. "Rai, are you…" He discovers her flopped over on him, sound asleep. 'I suppose your little surprise will wait.' He slowly rises to his feet and hoists her body into his arms. Shippo searches over the land until he sees an old abandoned farmhouse tucked away in a small wooded acre of land. Shippo walks over to the property, carrying Rai in his arms.

While he approaches the wooded acre, he searches for any residents living on the property. All he sees is rusty old plow buried a third of the way into the ground with grass growing around it. He sees an old skull of a cow laying on top of the soil; the bones that had been bleached by the sun. Beside the wooden house, a pile of chopped wood brace against the left side. The house itself is constructed of logs with supports at the four corners. Mud is hardened like cement between the logs, creating insulation against the outside conditions and securing the logs from collapse. The roof is thatched, made of straw.

Shippo peaks in the house and finds a straw-padded seating extended from the four walls with a fire pit in the center of the room with a small iron pot stuck half way into the fire pit. He lays Rai upon the seating. He takes off his shirt and vest. He creates a pillow out of the vest and places it under her head. Then with the shirt he covers her with it, like a blanket.

"Where did you go?" Rai asks in her sleep. "Shippo, please stay beside me." Shippo smiles at her and kneels on the floor beside her.

He pets her hair and strokes her ears with his gentle hand. Just then he hears a tiny springy sound tiptoe into the house after them. He catches Miyoga in midair before he could leap onto Rai's face. "How did you know it was me?"

"Not tonight, Miyoga. You can have my blood instead, just leave her be tonight."

"Rai's such a hard woman to track down. Same with you, Shippo-sama." Shippo stands up and exits the house.

"Where are you going now? Are you just leaving her here?" Miyoga freaks out.

"Calm down, before you wake her up. Both of us had a rough day. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going outside to take a leak."

Shippo walks out and stands next to the pile of firewood, looking out at the back of the property. He sees what looked like the remains of a tiny village. He sighs and rolls the waistline of his pants down. He catches Miyoga sitting on his shoulder, at the corner of his left eye. "Miyoga, what happened here?" Shippo asks, starting to pee.

"Bandits attacked this village ten years ago, killing everything and everyone. Then they torched it."

"I can see the ashes from back here. Rai's probably talking to the ghosts now."

"She has a thing for that. Rai's been talking to the dead since she was a kid."

"We had a dream this afternoon. I got the chance to see Chichi-ue, my Chichi-ue again. I hadn't spoken to him since I was a small child, when those damn Thunder demons killed him."

"I went by Kaede's temple when they were all asleep. When I drank InuYasha-sama's blood, I thought he was dead at first. He didn't slap at me. Then I saw him wetting himself, another unusual thing with him. Then it's like Kagome and Miroku had to pee and slept through it."

"Rai made us leap out of our bodies to see this Hell's Labyrinth she was talking about. That's a creepy place, even in the daytime."

"Ugh. I know of that horrible place. Never enter that place with a living body. I tried that once, then my stomach couldn't stand the pressures or the smell. Makes me almost lurch now just thinking about it."

"Kagome and Miroku found out what happens when you try going in with your ghost, especially without the required training."

"Yes, I could only guess by the scent of their breaths. Reeked of vomit. That's what going to that cave does to you. Sesshomaru-sama went through the same trials. He'd go into that cave, while Rakutaka's men possessed and took care of his body. Took him six years to get past throwing up and twelve additional years from wetting the bed because of those horrible nightmares." Miyoga sighs, "It's no wonder Rai got through it, being his daughter." "Did you know your father did the same thing?

"He went through the cave? But when? Was he alive then?"

"I doubt you'd know what your father did. You were so young when he died, it'd be impossible to think what his life was like before you were born."

"Rai said three have successfully made it through the cave. Her grandfather was one, and then her father, Sesshomaru. She never said who the third person was."

"Perhaps she didn't know because the Great Dog General wanted to keep it secret. The way her mind is, it wouldn't take her long to figure things out. She did tell you what Rakutaka is."

"Kitsune deity. Come to think of it, long ago Chichi-ue told me my grandfather was a fox deity. That's all he told me though."

Shippo's nose tweaks, as it smells Rai's scent. He senses her on the other side of house, sitting on the ground. He immediately snatches Miyoga, in mid leap. "Where are you going, ojisan?"

"I sensed her disappearing. I thought she was being abducted."

"What girl are you talking about? Rai get abducted, with that part of Sesshomaru's personality? You were going to spy on her, you pervert. What girl is interested in fellas watching her do anything private, especially when it's an old fella like you?"

Shippo finishes and walks back into the house. He finds the place where he placed Rai, vacant. He discovers the seating warmed from Rai's body. He also discovers it wide enough for the both of them. Rai walks back through the doorway nude with her clothes folded neatly in her arms. Miyoga whistles after her, mesmerized by her body. "I…she's…hot."

"Miyoga, get lost. That's just creepy. Besides I was going to say that." Shippo watches Rai stack her clothes beside the door on the chair rail. "So back there on that bush, I was curious since you don't wet the bed anymore why you have to be…"

"Shippo, I sleep nude. I was made to do that because of the dreams, but now I'm used to sleeping naked. The dragon's energy keeps me warm, even in winter. Any amount of clothes, when I sleep, just overheats me. My swords ward off intruders. If some pervert tries anything, I don't hesitate to kill them. I've got fire claws."

"See what I mean, Miyoga. This is definitely Sesshomaru's personality. This would explain why he's not super protective of Rai. Rin can't even do this. Kagome is also vulnerable, despite her powers." Shippo pats Rai on the arm, as she sits on the bed-rail beside him. "Rai, have you…"

"What's up?"

"Have you ever killed humans before?"

"When I had to defend a village, like I did for yours. I killed those evil men so they couldn't harm your villagers. Then I helped Chichi-ue kill their leader."

"Okay, but don't you feel guilty later? I ask because you're hanyou, same as InuYasha. If he kills a human, evil or not, he feels guilty about it later. I didn't know if you feel the same way."

"I only feel guilty if the village I'm trying to defend gets destroyed in the battle and the residents there are all slaughtered as a result. I made sure your village didn't suffer that tragedy. I'll kill anyone trying to destroy it, whether they would be demon or evil human."

"Good to know, I guess."

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you. When a battle starts, to defend a village or a temple, I'll do whatever it takes. I don't think it's my fault the enemy got killed. If he didn't attack, he wouldn't be dead." "Shippo, let's not argue. I never go to bed angry."

"How are we going to do this?" asks Shippo. I like sleeping on my back, or my side feels good too."

"How about you sleep on your back and I'll sleep on you. I do that with Inazuma all the time. Only difference is you smell better."

"I don't think that'll work. I'm uhh…" Shippo presses his hands down over his crotch.

"I understand. Inazuma lets me know when his thing is doing that. Then I don't sleep next to him on those nights." "What if you sleep there and I sleep on the adjoining wall, with our heads meeting at this corner?"

"Whose place was this?" asks Shippo, "It's like this whole house is one bed with a fire pit in the center."

"Some guy living by himself. I guess when the thieves came through here, they overlooked this place. This is a really small house, like almost a fourth the size of Oji(san)'s."

"Will you be seen in here?" asks Miyoga.

"Not a chance. I stuck Naosusaiga in the ground outside before I sat to pee. Nobody will know this cabin even exists."

"So that's how you can undress without worry?" asks Shippo.

"I don't care about that. If some pig tried anything with me, I might kill him. Or if I'm not in that mood and spare his life, I simply slice him in the eyes. He'll spend the rest of his life blind. If that doesn't stop him, I give him a sex change."

"Ouch!" cringes Shippo, "Did you really have to do that?"

"I'll just say one poor gang leader can't see and has a missing ball sack because he got too friendly with me."

'Is this why you were nervous about touching mine?' Shippo drops sweat down his face. "So you are dangerous when approached? No man can proposition you, unless he wants his vision and manhood erased."

"Shippo, you're the only man I'll let touch me. You can touch anywhere." She takes his hand and places it over her crotch.

"You allow that from me?" he asks, feeling her. Rai's eyes roll back and she smiles deeply.

"Oh yeah. Just… This feels so good."

"I mustn't. I'm getting hard now."

"Then undo your pants and don't fight it."

"I'm still afraid I'll impregnate you."

"I'm not in season. You'll know it when my hair turns black and I become human. That's when my time is. That's also the only time I sleep with my clothes on."

She unties the top of his pants, opening them. Then she lies down on top of him. "Are you comfortable now?" she asks.

"I'm getting there. Oh yeah, this feels good."

"Then we can do it until we both fall asleep."

"You want to spend all night like this?"

"I fell asleep the first night. You did as well." She kisses him, and then lays her head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart.

'This is relaxing. I don't think I could fall asleep with a hard on. Like this, it's calming down.' "Rai, do you think you could do this all night? Rai?" He sees her fast asleep. He pets her hair, playing with her dog-ears. He watches her sleep, slowly becoming drowsy himself. His eyes close and he too drifts off into sleep.

* * *

Next morning, Shippo wakes up and finds himself alone. He sees Rai's armor but not her clothes. He finally catches her scent mixed with a wild hog. He slowly stands and ties his pants back together. He emerges from the hut to see Rai sitting outside beside a roaring campsite.

Rai pays little attention to him, as she prepares the hog she killed. She slices open the stomach with a knife, removing its organs. She dumps out the stomach and intestinal contents, adding the pig's stool to the fire.

Shippo slowly approaches the campsite, slightly turned off by the pig's guts.

"Shippo, what are you so disgusted about? Haven't you ever had roasted wild hog before?"

"Yes, but I never liked the preparation process."

Rai slices off a chunk of ham and skewers the meat with a stick she made from the branch of a tree. She sets the ham in the fire, roasting it.

"So how well did you sleep last night?" Rai asks, as she prepares another chunk of ham.

"It was fine. That felt good, you lying on top of me. Your body's so warm; I didn't even need extra cover." "It went back to normal almost immediately."

"I felt that. I was feeling restless about that."

"When I woke up, you were gone. Where did you go?"

"I woke up and dressed quickly. I was getting hungry and my ass was talking to me. The curry in the ramen from last night was done. While I was letting that go outside behind the barrier, I smelled two things, this pig and Chichi-ue. Immediately after I got done, I stalked after the pig. I used the remains of the ramen, to lure the pig closer to me. He smelled it but not me. So when he got close enough, I leaped out and sliced him to death with my claws."

"So then you built this fire and went to work, disemboweling him." "Wait, didn't you say you smelled your father?"

"He was flying overhead. I figured smelling this kill would be enough to lure him here. I was hoping to have breakfast with him today."

"What if Sesshomaru sees me? I'd better put my shirt on. Wait, does he know what we did last night?"

"We have a rule, I don't ask him about his sex-life with Haha-ue and he doesn't ask about my private moments. Hell he doesn't even pry into my life when womanhood hits."

"What do you do for that?"

"I just find a bush somewhere in the forest to sit bare-assed on, or I just sit in a hot spring all day. The warm waters in the hot spring are great for relieving cramps."

Shippo stands back up. "Where are you going, babe? Don't tell me I grossed you out."

"Nope. I just got up and the remains of the ramen want to come out of me. Can't very well let it go, especially if Sesshomaru's coming by. He won't see me behind the barrier, will he?"

"What if he did? Like he's got much to talk about. He claims he doesn't eat human food, and yet it smells like he does." Rai's nose follows the scent of Shippo, until it disappears in front of the cabin. She prepares more meat for the fire, trying to catch the scent of Sesshomaru.

She suddenly sees him out in the sun, away from the former village. She sees his armor glisten in the sunlight. Rai smiles in excitement, standing to her feet. She watches as Sesshomaru walks closer towards her. She finally breaks from the campfire and runs up to him. "Chichi-ue."

Rai embraces him, kissing his cheek. "Calm down, Rai. I know you're excited, but please contain yourself." He exchanges hugs with her.

"Chichi-ue, it's been awhile. Since that battle, I think. So much has happened since then."

"Rai, it's only been two days. What happened since you were in InuYasha's village?"

"You know that boy I was telling you about. The one I met in Nagasaki."

"You said you fell in love with someone there. That was two months ago."

"I'm dating him. I found him in Oji(san)'s village, and we've been together."

"All that in one day? I flew over the village and saw Kagome and Miroku at the temple."

"I know I shouldn't have, but they know about the Jukon."

"I see. You went to the cave with them. So who got sick?"

"Those two, Oba(san) and Miroku."

"I'm surprised the monk got sick. He can usually handle stuff like that. Kagome's not normally tolerant of places like that. What about the fox and the demon slayer?"

"Sango was fine. She said she heard the noise, but when she did it was at the silent phase. Shippo, Inazuma, and Oji(san) were also fine."

"I had no doubt about the Thunder horse nor about my brother." "So Sango and Shippo tolerated it, too. Then you experienced those hellish nightmares."

"You still remember them. Jii-chan said you were like everyone who enters the cave. When you slept…"

"My father has a knack for disclosing embarrassing stuff. Yes, my dreams were so violent and intense, that I woke up in my own piss. It never failed either. I envy you, Rai. You stopped that long before I did. Either you're more used to the dreams, or it's you're a girl and you can hold it better. I think you're the only female who's been brave enough to endure the physical, mental, and spiritual strains. There have been women, who tried going through with their ghosts, and I know some attempted the test, but maybe it's because you're the granddaughter of the Great Dog General."

"Why isn't Oji(san) doing this? He could probably take the test even."

"First of all, InuYasha doesn't have the patients or discipline like we do. Even if he had his ghost make it through the cave without his body throwing up, I doubt his interest would hold very long. Or it could be there's enough stuff in there to frighten him so bad, he'd be given a massive heart attack in his dreams. The ultimate danger would be a real death."

"I've been through it and got used to the dreams. I think of them now as a neat adventure. I'm not even scared. Only reason I peed this time what I was next to a hot spring. I was awake for that."

"Do you still sleep naked?"

"I enjoy that. I just love the sensation of sleeping nude. I set up my barrier and don't worry after that."

"It's not as though I'm one to criticize. I enjoy that too."

Rai walks back and sits beside the campfire. She smells Shippo emerge from the barrier. "Rai, when you go back in the hut, give it a minute." He nods to Sesshomaru.

"Good morning, fox," greets Sesshomaru.

"Same uh…"

"Chichi-ue, I want to tell you. That boy I met, was this one. Shippo."

"I know him. It's been awhile. Are you taking care of her?"

"I'm doing my best, Sesshomaru-sama. Although it seems she's taking care of me. In battle, it's amazing to see how cutthroat she is. She did this one attack that killed a whole hoard of demons. I don't think it's something anyone can copy."

"That deal with stabbing the ground is something she came up with. She's able to create a spherical barrier around herself and if it's with Hono'osaiga, kill everything in the hundred foot radius."

"I can actually increase the size to a thousand, but then the point of defending someone's home or village would be destroyed along with the enemy force."

Rai removes the ham from the fire and hands a stick to each man. Sesshomaru refuses the ham. "What's your problem, Chichi-ue? It's ready."

Shippo starts eating. "Not bad. Not as great as your real cooking skills, but still tasty."

"Sorry if I didn't see any fruit or rice around here. We'll fix that back in town. I was hungry now and so were you, it seems."

"Rai, you know I hate human food," sighs Sesshomaru, looking at the cooked ham.

"You do not. How often do you take Haha-ue to a ramen shop or a sushi stand? I saw you in Kyoto, two weeks ago. You were there eating with her."

"I didn't like it."

"I was sitting across the room at that restaurant with Inazuma and saw you there with Haha-ue. You were eating the guy's food like it was the best thing you've ever seen."

"I was hungry. That's all," Sesshomaru sighs, reluctantly eating his portion of ham.

"Don't give me that. You were just hungry, yeah right. Haha-ue told me you enjoyed it, or at least you looked like you were. You're hardly the type to try impressing her. You hate it because you're a full demon and you don't want getting caught enjoying human pleasures."

"Rai, where are you getting this from? A demon enjoying human things."

"Sir," replies Shippo, "I'm a full demon too, and I enjoy human pleasures."

"You've lived in InuYasha's village and its influence rubbed off on you, fox. I never let that happen."

"Sure you didn't," chuckles Rai.

"I don't let humans have anything to do with me."

"Then marrying Haha-ue was for kicks. Having not one, but two hanyou pups with her. I wouldn't be alive now if you didn't involve yourself with humans."

"Your mother is a different matter. Rin loved me first, ever since she was a small child. Then I loved her and when she came of age, I married her."

"Shippo, you're right. This meat is not the best," Rai stops eating it. "We could go back to that ramen shop. I saw the old man had rice and eggs."

"What old man?" asks Sesshomaru.

"There was an old man in town. Raniku opened up his ramen shop recently. Last night I helped him cooked the best ramen for the whole village to enjoy. His place was so packed that the majority of the villagers sat on the ground. But after they started eating, he just died. His funeral is tonight."

"I see. Well you're cooking is an art form. You enjoy it."

"I missed you there. I wish you were there last night."

"If InuYasha was there, then I would have just stayed away anyways. Especially with Kagome and Miroku that sick, if I was there, it would have interfered with both their stomachs."

"He's right. When we left the temple, both were still kind of pukey-acting. In fact I asked Sango why she was in town. She said she wanted to get away from Miroku because he was getting sick."

"It's the after-affects of that cave," replies Sesshomaru, "Especially if you've thrown up."

"Both did that huge one first," informs Rai, "You know the one after their ghosts return to their bodies. I wish I had let Rakutaka know I was going to do that, he would have sent out his men to take care of our bodies."

"You didn't have one the first time either. When you heard that noise, your grandfather ordered you back into your body. Unfortunately you didn't listen and threw up all over yourself."

"Chichi-ue, I was six when that happened. I didn't know what he meant. After that first time, then I knew better."

"Yeah now it's like routine for you," comments Sesshomaru.

"More like fun. I enjoy that place. It's a challenge and there are some parts I hate. But mostly it's just fun. Although I do ask Rakutaka to send one of his female subordinates."

"Why's that?" asks Shippo.

"Rakutaka had given me a male servant one time to take over my body. Rocho took over about two years ago. Rocho isn't what you'd call bright. After three days, I returned to my body and smelled this weird stench down my right leg. Rocho forgot he was in a woman's body and made it stand to pee. One of the other spirits told me, they told him to have me sit. Then he acted like 'Rai never told me I was supposed to sit.'"

"So you require only females."

"Rocho was just the only male who was like that. I've had other male servants take over before, but they knew I was a girl and I function differently than a boy. There was one spirit Rakutaka has working in one of the caves. Savio's not allowed to take over female bodies anymore, because he'll touch where he's not supposed to." Rai leans over and whispers to Shippo. "You know where I said you could. You're the only male allowed to touch me there."

"Oh that place," blushes Shippo.

"I hate Savio too," cringes Sesshomaru. "He needs to be sent to hell. I know Rakutaka hates sending his men there, but Savio needs to go. I've told that SOB if he ever touched you, I'd send him there personally."

"He makes you touch yourself. That's sick! I'd rather do that when I'm in my own body."

"Carla usually takes over. She's sweet. She loves bathing your body. Not with water either. Hot milk with vanilla spice is her favorite type of indulgence. When I returned, my skin smelled so good. I hounded her to let me experience that myself. She had boiled milk in that bath. Shippo, you need to experience that. Feels even better than a hot spring bath. You'll feel like a shogunate."

Rai stands up and offers Shippo a hand up. "You still hungry, babe?"

"This pig isn't doing it for me. Not that it's making me sick, but I want a real breakfast."

"Chichi-ue, you too. I'm not having my old man eating this stuff. My food is way better than this."

"I guess," Sesshomaru stands on his own, tossing most of his ham on the ground.

"We've got a good fire going," Shippo points out. Rai kneels beside her kill and carves out its bladder. She punctures a gash in it, spilling the contents onto the fire.

"That's how I usually put out a campfire. I think this poor guy was looking for a place to go when I killed him." Rai looks around, twitching her nose. "Don't you smell them nearby? The second reason I want to leave is there are wolves nearby. They're trying to find this kill. I'm using this pig's urine to give them a scent trail. This is quite a large pig, so he should be enough for them."

"I've been smelling wolves for some time," comments Sesshomaru, "I think they're just wolves. These aren't Koga's wolves."

Rai walks back into the house and straps on her armor and collects her Hono'osaiga and Naosusaiga's sheath. She collects Shippo's shirt and vest from off the bed-rail and folds them over her right arm. She walks back out, removing the Naosusaiga from out of the ground, dissolving the barrier it created. She sheathes her healing sword and tosses Shippo's clothes to him. He slips the shirt and vest on before transforming into his fox form.

"Whoa, didn't know you can do that now," comments Sesshomaru in surprise, "When I first knew you, you'd transform into that pink ball thing."

"Not anymore. I've been learning to transform into this for a while. I never showed anyone this before yesterday, not even InuYasha. I'm able to keep this form for hours if I have to. The longest I've held this form was for three weeks solid." Rai mounts him, and both Shippo and Sesshomaru fly into the sky.

"Do you think InuYasha will be cross if he comes through town? They still don't get along," informs Shippo.

"Let him be cross. I know he's mad we're dating; probably mad we make love so freely. This is a free Feudal era, if Chichi-ue wants to come with us, I say don't fight it. I'm the one inviting him."

"Yeah but those two fight like…"

"Shippo, what are you worried about two old mutts for? You can't teach them new things. Breaking them out of stupid habits is one of those new concepts. Though it's weird that Jii-chan learned to control his behavior. I wonder if I can get the same necklace Oji(san) wears for Chichi-ue."

"I'm not wearing that stupid thing," snorts Sesshomaru.

"Then you won't start crap with Oji(san)."

"He's the one starting it with me. I have no choice."

"You better not fight. I'll use one of my demon-holding incantations on you if you start."

"That supposed to be a threat, young lady."

"I wouldn't argue with her either," warns Shippo, "I've seen her using spells with near perfection."

"I know. It's extremely scary. I don't even do that. She's taking more after my father. He was able to cast spells as well as sword fighting. I wonder if she learned that from him too. She talks to his ghost enough."

"If you want to talk to him, I can arrange it for you, Chichi-ue."

"Thanks but if I want to talk to him, I will conjure him up myself."

"Shippo, doesn't he seem jealous I can do it and he can't? Such an old mutt."

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it," chuckles Shippo, "But you have to realize, old dogs don't know crap. They think they do. But this one has to be told in words he can understand."

"I heard that."

"Good. At least your hearing is still there, old man. But you need to take care of that. They say the older you get, your hearing is the first to go."

"Young lady, I might be older than you, but I'm hardly elderly."

All three arrive in front of the ramen shop. Rai sees the place stocked with food, but sees the shop vacant of anyone. Rai catches sight of a woman passing by. "Ma'am, where's Raniku this morning? His body, I mean."

"He's been taken to the temple. His body is being prepared for tonight."

Shippo transforms back and enters the shop. "Looks like his things have been cleaned. Sango must have been in charge of that. We helped him cook the meal."

"Wait, aren't you the woman who made the ramen last night?" asks the villager.

"This is Rai," introduces Shippo, "Sango, she and I helped Raniku last night."

"Yeah, I tasted his cooking before he died. It was his dying wish," the woman shies away, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, I miss the old man. After dinner last night I went home and cried my eyes out. I'm about to do it again."

Rai walks behind the counter. "If you wouldn't mind sticking around, I'll make breakfast for you."

"Thanks, but I have to get home. My husband and kids are still asleep. It's rice planting day and they need to get to work."

Shippo finds a giant cooking pot and walks outside with it to the well. Rai searches the store until she finds pre-butchered pork. "Shippo, there should be some firewood outside."

"I'm already on that. I've already got the furnace lit."

Rai returns to the front with the pork and a knife. "I know we were just eating a pig, but this one's already been prepared."

"That's fine, Rai. Looks more edible."

"Would you like something to drink? I'll prepare tea if you want."

"Whatever. Green peppermint please. I don't think that wild pig is settling well."

"You feeling sick? I'm sorry."

"I'm okay. I've got a small stomachache. It's nothing to worry about."

Rai leans over the counter and touches Sesshomaru's forehead with the back of her hand. "You don't have a fever. Just a stomachache. After you eat, you should be fine. You're most likely in pain because you're hungry. You didn't eat enough wild pig to do anything to you."

She starts heating the stovetop and slices the pork into thin strips. Shippo hauls the water in from outside and sets it over a fire pit. Rai finds a teapot and dips it into the water. She takes a tealeaf with mint leaves and set them in the extracted water in the teapot. She sets the pot upon the stovetop.

Shippo dips into the water with a smaller cooking pot and sets it on the stovetop. He takes a large brick of uncooked rice and sets it in the smaller cooking pot.

Rai quickly smells the scent of InuYasha drawing closer. "Chichi-ue, don't start anything. I know you sense him too. Just don't fight."

"I wasn't planning to. He's the one approaching me."

InuYasha trudges toward the ramen shop with a scowl on his face. "What the hell are…?"

Rai sighs and makes a prayer sign with her right hand. "InuYasha tameru!" Right then, InuYasha is paralyzed temporarily in his tracks.

Rai tastes the tea, and then pours it into a hot teacup. She hands Sesshomaru the hot tea.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he protests in a struggling voice.

"What does it look like she did, dumbass? She froze you so you wouldn't start crap."

"Don't you start either, Chichi-ue. I can easily turn the spell on you. Now you listen Oji(san), I invited him here to fix him breakfast. You're not going to start some asinine feud with him, unless you want me to freeze you again."

"I take it this is a spell similar to that stupid oswari spell Kagome does," InuYasha replies, trying to free himself. The spell finally releases its hold on him.

"How dare you threaten me! I'm going to teach you to mess with me, little girl."

"InuYasha tameru!" InuYasha is frozen again.

"Didn't you listen to her? Rai's not the type you can just threaten like that," Sesshomaru sighs, sipping his tea.

"Rai, what sort of fruit do you want in the rice?" asks Shippo.

"I saw some ripe strawberries back here. Who put them there?"

"Some woman named Carmen gave them to be used," informs InuYasha, "She overheard Sango asking you if you'd want to take over for the old geezer."

"You use fruit in your recipes?" asks Sesshomaru.

"It sweetens rice. I like making rice balls with added flavor."

"I never thought you could do that. I thought you used sugar."

"Yeah, but fruit is sweet on its own. Plus it's good for you. Besides sugar is a foreign good. I didn't see any bags brought in last night."

Rai walks back to the stove and stirs the rice, checking on its elasticity. "Shippo, please chop the vegetables and check the meat. We can't take too long. Chichi-ue is very hungry."

Rai sees the strawberries in another pot, already squeezed into a thick dark juice. She pours the strawberry juice into a small tray. She reaches into the rice pot and shapes the rice into small triangles. She lays each rice ball upon the juice, letting the rice absorb it. She secures a sliced carrot to the top of each rice ball. Once the rice balls are complete, she places them on a corn leaf. She walks back over to the counter and places the corn leaf in front of Sesshomaru.

"The food will be ready shortly, you can have this in the meantime." Rai retreats to the stove, hastily.

InuYasha stares at the rice balls, enviously. Rai returns with a second tray of strawberry rice balls. "You too, Oji(san)." InuYasha cautiously approaches the counter, sitting far away from Sesshomaru. Rai pours InuYasha a cup of tea.

"I didn't say I wanted to eat here. Especially not by him."

"Quit acting like a baby. You're hungry, so eat," insists Rai.

"I can't. It's so nauseating to eat with him."

"Then go home and I'll serve it to someone else. I'm not having this."

"It's making me wonder who the adult is here," smirks Sesshomaru.

"What do you mean? This girl is a mere child. She's only a baby in the demon sense."

"Only in the demon sense, that is," corrects Sesshomaru, "Rai is hanyou. Her human side is making her look the age she is. It's also making her act her age."

"Whatever. Doesn't make her superior to me."

"Quit making a scene, Oji(san). Leave if you don't like eating breakfast with Chichi-ue. Or stay and behave yourself. Those are your options."

"Eggs are ready," announces Shippo, as he approaches the front of the shop. "I heard you arguing out here. I was hoping for some civility at the breakfast table, but that's wishful thinking, I suppose." Shippo sets a flat bamboo tray in front of Sesshomaru with an empty bowl, chopsticks, and soy sauce. He sets a small long tray with fresh cucumber slices. He retreats into the kitchen and returns immediately with an omelet.

Rai retreats into the kitchen, loading a tiny ceramic tray with fried pork kissed with pineapple juice. She places it and a bowl of rice in front of Sesshomaru. Rai retreats to the kitchen, preparing a tray for InuYasha.

InuYasha watches Sesshomaru starting to sample the omelet. "I thought you don't eat human food."

"A human didn't make it. Rai and Shippo did."

Rai senses a short presence approach the tiny diner. "Sesshomaru-sama, I've been searching all over for you," pipes Jaken's voice. "What are you doing here of all places?"

"It's called eating breakfast," sighs Rai, "Your master was starving so I invited him here."

Jaken leaps onto a stool beside Sesshomaru and stands on the seat. "I've been looking all over for him and you brought him here for eats? Why you stupid little girl! I've got a good mind…" Rai slides a piece of pineapple-marinated pork into Jaken's beak. He swallows the piece of meat. "Mm. Not bad."

"What do you need, Jaken?" asks Sesshomaru.

"Something's wrong with Rin. This morning when she got up, she said she didn't feel well. Her stomach's in great pain. She said her body hurts all over."

"There's a bug going around. It's making the villagers sick," Rai informs.

"I got away because of that. She felt hot to the touch," sighs Sesshomaru.

"Chichi-ue, this flu sounds weird. It's requiring white berries to break the symptoms. I wonder if Nakuhebi is spreading this epidemic."

"It wouldn't be a total surprise if he's the one doing this."

"Last night, there was a huge crowd of villagers with Crimson Jewel shards. I got 145 pieces from them. Then this woman, Carmen had a bag with 40 pieces, claiming someone gave them to her in exchange for food."

"Damn that thing is resurfacing. It would be Nakuhebi's angle. His serpents carry spores from the cave in their skin."

"Rai, I've fixed you a tray," informs Shippo.

"Thanks, babe. I'll share it with you." Shippo sets a tray on the counter beside Sesshomaru. Rai walks back to the kitchen and returns with four rice balls. Shippo returns with an omelet and a bowl of rice. Both reach for a tiny meat tray. Rai blushes and giggles a little. She takes the tray and sets it at her place on the counter. "Shippo, I forgot to give you something."

He looks at her, holding her hand. "I want to give it to you. But your father's watching."

Rai drapes her arms around Shippo's neck. "I want him to see." Rai softly kisses Shippo. Shippo holds her and returns a kiss to her.

"Oooh…" comments Jaken, "How sweet. Rai's in love. With the fox demon of all people, who'd have guessed?"

"I'm having trouble believing it either," smiles Sesshomaru, "Still not like I've got anything to criticize. I love Rin like that."

Rai withdraws from the kiss and is escorted by Shippo to the front of the diner. "You stay on the serving side, babe. I'll sit here and share the food." Shippo pulls a stool over directly opposite of her and sits facing Rai.

"Sesshomaru, I've being curious about something," ponders Shippo, "You've been through that cave once with your body."

"That's the actual test. Rakutaka kills your body first."

"So you were dead. That seems impossible for you to die."

"It's not like you die and that's it. Your body and soul aren't separated. Your soul remains in your body, but your heart stops. Most humans can't move very well. They walk as mindless zombies. Demons have a better chance."

"So it isn't something a human can do?" asks InuYasha, "Is Rai being hanyou have something to with this better chance?"

"Something like that."

"If she can do it, what about me? I'm hanyou."

"InuYasha, when confronting danger, what is your first impulse? You rely too much on Tetsusaiga. In this cave, you can't have it with you. You can't have anything with you, not even your clothes."

"You've got to be nude?" InuYasha shrieks.

"That's right. It's a good thing Rai's comfortable with being naked. She'll have to be in the cave. She has to endure the cave without her swords or clothes."

"Without her swords, she'd be powerless, right?" asks InuYasha.

"That's the case with you, InuYasha. Rai's power is internal. Her swords are merely objects she projects her powers on. That's why she can cast spells."

"Oji(san), you're hanyou. You're however equal half. Your father is giving you powers but they're as strong as your human side is. Your limit is you can only do small powers."

"Well I also don't have a dragon in my body, so quit gloating."

"There's more to that," explains Sesshomaru, "All the dragon did was give her the ability to control fire. He doesn't have the power for spells, he doesn't have the brain power to make quick decisions, and he's not able to talk to the dead." "I don't know if you're aware of this, Rai's more demon than human. It's true her age, appearance, behavior and love is human, but that's all. The rest of her is demon. Her ability to predict things and sense people is demonic. She casts spells against enemies. That thing with punching the ground with her swords and create a ring of destruction. All that is demonic."

"So why do you have to be naked?" asks Shippo.

"It's about purity. It shows Rakutaka you mean no harm and you're willing to go through the hardships. It's not as though you're nude the whole route. As you journey, you're given white robes. You're also given food and drink throughout the test."

"Do you bathe? What about toilet breaks or sleep?"

"There are bathing areas with mineral baths. You have to keep clean throughout the journey. If you have to go, there really aren't any good places, just watch out for dogs and hug a wall the best you can. Well do what you normally do. As for sleep, your body doesn't require it, since it's dead." "I had gone through the training before the test. I felt fine after awhile during training. But that's not always a guarantee you won't get sick at any point during the test."

"What do you do about that?" asks Shippo.

"When you go through you'll see several pits around the cave. Rakutaka has made those pits just in case the jewel seeker gets sick. I threw up three times while I was down there. I recommend you get on your hands and knees for that. The pits are filled with lava and will burn your body instantly."

"I know I can do this. But I'm not sure. Will I really be alone? A few times I felt lonely. Jii-chan had to comfort me. Some of the ghosts did that too."

"If you want, I can come with you," suggests Shippo, "Can that work?"

"I'm sure. There are some folks who went together. Unfortunately many testers failed and their bodies couldn't stand the journey. That's why there are so many ghosts. One poor guy was going pee but failed to lookout for dead dogs. They spotted him and ran him down. This is why when you have to go, check for dogs first."

"Really," shivers Shippo.

"Perhaps since Rai knows the path well, if you went together, she could guide you and watch out for stuff like that. Unlike the dreams, you will be allowed to use demonic powers, however don't rely too much on them."

"That seems unfair," snorts InuYasha.

"You want to endure the trials?" asks Rai, "Ask for one of Rakutaka's servants to take over your body, while your ghost walks through. I'll even ask Carla if she can possess me. For you, Oji(san), Javier is the best soul to talk to."

"Just don't ask Savio or Romero," Sesshomaru winces, shaking his head.

"You mean Rocho," corrects Rai.

"Rocho doesn't know how a girl pees. Savio and Romero are touchy-feely. Savio likes touching women inappropriately and Romero has a fascination with male bodies."

Rai leans toward InuYasha. "Romero is in the pits because he plays with your baby-maker."

"Eww, I'll pass on this."

"I recommended Javier because he respects your body and won't mess with it. Carla and Anita are the same way with female bodies."

"You like Carla because she gives your body milk baths. She refuses to enter bodies that haven't been through training. Anita is better for that."

"Right, Anita entered my body when I was training for the second six years of my life. She used to make a game out of throwing up. It was how long she could hold my mouth closed. Afterwards, she would take the biggest peppermint leaf she could find and chew on it."

"Who are all these servants?" asks InuYasha

"Demons that never had a body to begin with. They're wandering ghosts from the Jomon era," explains Rai, "In amidst the chaos of this land, Rakutaka gave these lost souls a purpose to be here. They work for Rakutaka, providing soul-swap services for those training in the cave."

"I'll tell you something," informs Sesshomaru, "I don't know how relevant it is now, but Naraku attempted going through the cave."

"What?" steams InuYasha, "He was after the Jukon?"

"What do you think he did while you were sealed to that tree for fifty years?" asks Sesshomaru, "You really think he waited all that time, in hopes for the Shikon Jewel to resurface?"

"Why didn't he do it? I thought his demons were destroyed if they entered the cave," Shippo asks curiously.

"The very reason why I trained for so long. The same reason Rai's been training down there. We were willing to give our bodies to souls ready to take care of them. With all those demons in Naraku's body, simply swapping his soul with someone else would be impossible. When he realized that was impossible, he tried the test without the training. However he didn't have his body killed, which is supposed to happen. He didn't make it past the first two miles without throwing up. He did the huge one too, which you're really supposed to get past. He finally had enough and exited the caves."

"Served him right, cocky bastard. I'll bet he pissed all over his pants because of that dream."

"Speaking from experience, little brother?"

"S…shut up. I don't know what you're talking about."

"I notice you're not wearing your red pants. You've only got that red kimono and white pants, fetching."

"None of your business."

"Kagome's home washing them because you wouldn't listen to my warning. I said go to sleep nude, but like an arrogant dumbass you thought you could concur the dream without embarrassing yourself."

"You did it too and on purpose," InuYasha pouts.

"You've gotten past that already?" asks Sesshomaru. "How long have you stopped that?"

"It'll be six years since the dreams didn't bother me like that."

"That was fast. Took you six years to make your body and soul tolerant, then just two more to get used to the dreams."

"Well every once in a while I have to get up and sit under a bush, immediately, but the dreams are more like adventures. How long did it take you to get past it?"

"Took me six years for body to adjust and ten more before I got through the dreams dry. Probably because you're a woman, you're able to hold out longer. I think you've got more drive and motivation. You will do what it takes to reach the Jukon."

"What happens after you reach it?" asks Shippo, "Do you have to go through the maze again?"

"No then you go back up to the surface, through the temple," explains Rai, "There's a small door to the left of Buddha. It only opens from the cave side of the wall."

"When I made it through with my body, I was so tired I collapsed in the doorway and slept there for three days," recalls Sesshomaru.

"Did you dream?" asks Rai.

"Rakutaka knew I had past the test, so no. He didn't make me dream like that. At the time, my mind was focused on my father's passing and my three-year-old brother. I know during the time I spent in that cave, I had a moment where I collapsed in the cave and cried my eyes out. One of the ghosts, a woman, saw me sobbing and solidified herself. She knelt beside me and held me, trying to comfort me."

"What does she look like?" asks Rai.

"She has dark-gray hair, blue eyes, about 5' 7", wears a blue kimono with a yellow-rose pattern. She's been dead for 300 years, but she looks 65 years old."

"I know her. Yukimata is her name. She used to talk about you. She told me one time she couldn't believe I was your daughter. Didn't even think it was possible you even found a woman, much less a human to fall in love with. She said you were becoming your father."

"Did she? So she knows him too?"

"Despite being dead, Jii-chan thinks he still has it. He's a chick magnet. When he goes through with me, female ghosts hover around us like flies. Miroku would like this, there's a girl down there who used to be a whorehouse queen. Rachel died down there when she was 30. She's got this really sexy body. Full breasts, curvy waist, shapely legs. Quite the man-pleaser."

Shippo whistles upon hearing this, "That description is making me hard now."

"It must have been recently she died, like in the past thirty years," replies Sesshomaru, "I was down there right after Naraku was destroyed with my ghost and I didn't see anyone matching that description."

"I think she wandered in and was killed by a dog. Sometimes you get idiots doing that. Jii-chan said she was in the middle of getting sick when she was attacked."

"She wants my father?" asks InuYasha.

"She wants to get in his pants. She tries everything to make him want her. Flashes her breasts, rubs her legs, rubs his legs. She tries tempting him."

"She does this in your presence?" asks Sesshomaru.

"No, but Jii-chan tells me about it in great detail. He doesn't seem bothered by it. You know he's milking this attention. I get the impression he wishes both he and this Rachel were alive so he could plow her."

"I know that too well," sighs Sesshomaru, "I wonder if I should see this…no that'd be bad. Rin would kill me if I met this Rachel."

"Have you ever been touched by Rin?" asks Shippo.

"You mean…doesn't do it. We do have sex, but she doesn't touch me there."

"Brother, you're missing out," sighs InuYasha, "Kagome does that to me. During sex, she will touch me. It feels like paradise. I become like a new man afterward."

"I know Jii-chan wants that. You might watch out, Chichi-ue. He might possess your body when you're down there and have both your needs met."

"That wouldn't be fair. I want to feel it myself."

"Then go to a brothel and have your needs satisfied," suggests Shippo. Rai blushes, then yanks Shippo's shirt, knocking him over the counter.

"Please don't spill it," Rai whispers in anxiety, "Chichi-ue doesn't need to know. Don't tell him about what we did."

"Not even about after the dream?" Rai shakes her head frantically.

"Something you're hiding from me?" asks Sesshomaru.

"No! I'm not hiding anything," Rai jerks back, laughing sheepishly.

"Just how did you meet the fox demon anyways? Was it love at first sight here?"

"It was love at first sight, but somewhere else. We met in Nagasaki."

"That far south? That's an interesting place to meet people. How would this fox demon know about a brothel?"

"Just does. I wouldn't know how. He might have been passing through Nagasaki and saw one."

"I see."

"Well Inazuma was at a stable with a filly, having his needs met. Well I desperately wanted mine met too. Ever had the urge for sex overwhelm you. I never had it before, but was desperate."

"I've been there," admits Sesshomaru, "You want it so bad you can't stand it. I've had that long before I met Rin. I wasn't even innocent when we met. Rin's not my first."

"Does she know that?" asks Rai.

"Well let's just say, when we had sex the first time, Rin was surprised I knew what I was doing."

"I've had enough talk about this," coughs InuYasha.

"He's right, this is bad talking about sex," jumps Rai.

"Master, you're not thinking about doing what the fox suggests, are you?" asks Jaken.

"Jaken, have you ever been with a girl?" asks Rai.

"No way. I don't want one. I'm a demon. I don't need a woman."

"What does 'being a demon' have to do with having a female in your life?" asks Rai, "I'm hanyou but I didn't let that interfere with me finding Shippo. Shippo's a demon with me for his girl."

"I think you're afraid," sighs Sesshomaru.

"Of what?"

"You're jealous I've got Rin and now you regret it."

"That stupid girl, you keep her. I never did want her. I don't care for women."

"I get it," smirks Rai, "You're not into women. You're idea for love is to find one of your kind."

"What's that supposed to mean?" steams Jaken.

"I've noticed that too," smiles Shippo, "He never did like women. Men were his thing."

"What?" shrieks Jaken.

"Yep, it's quite clear now. You do want sex, but not from a woman," smirks Rai.

"Jaken, they think you're gay," Sesshomaru clues him in.

"No! I'm not that way! I'm not gay!"

"Now that you've mentioned it, I agree," smirks InuYasha, "He does come off like that."

"How dare you! I don't love men either."

"But when we met, you said you were in love with me," recalls Sesshomaru.

"I loved your appearance and aura. But it's not like I wanted you like that."

"It's okay, Chichi-ue. Poor Jaken is in denial right now. It's perfectly natural for someone to be embarrassed when they find out they are homosexual. I know a few classmates with that problem. I knew these two guys at the dojo. Bo and You were like that. They became lovers, but kept it secret from the sensei. One night I was going outside for a drink of water and saw Bo in his room and You was on top of him. I didn't tell sensei about this, in fact nobody did. We figured to each his own. Their relationship didn't interfere with their studies or swordsmanship."

"Ugh. I'm not gay."

"Hey I know," chimes Rai, "Shippo and I can test you. First one is a kissing test. Shippo, will you mind if I were to kiss Jaken?"

"If it's to prove whether he's gay or not, I'll let you do it."

"Will you be grossed out if you kissed him, Shippo? I won't blame you if you gagged yourself later."

"I won't gag myself, especially not after we went through all the trouble of making this wonderful breakfast. I doubt one gay kiss will tarnish my reputation as a straight man."

"We'll make sure nobody's watching, well except for Chichi-ue and Oji(san). They can be the observers."

"I'm interested in this," smirks Sesshomaru, "I've been wondering about Jaken's sexual position ever since I met him."

"What if he doesn't crack?" asks InuYasha.

"I've got another test. I'll need Naosusaiga's barrier for it. That test is more detailed."

"I'm not doing this," protests Jaken.

"It's not like I'm going to do anything to you. It's just a simple kiss," reassures Rai, "It won't be a real kiss, you need to have lips for it to be real." Rai picks up Jaken and cradles him like a baby. "You ready?" she asks seductively.

"What? No! Put me down, you sly wench!" Jaken squirms and jerks desperately, "Master, help me!"

"No way. This is your problem."

"I've been faithful to you all these years and this is how you treat me? You're letting your daughter kiss me?" Jaken starts crying, trying to free himself. Rai holds his head firmly and slowly kisses his beak. He blushes brightly with his eyes wide open. She pulls away, leaving Jaken blushing and cooing. "Oh my. That's what humans do." Jaken shakes his head violently, spitting out the kiss.

"Was that your first kiss?" laughs Sesshomaru.

"I huh…that was scary! How dare you do that to me! I've got a good mind to teach you a lesson, wench!"

"Your turn, babe," Rai chimes, handing Jaken over to Shippo, "You've already got your proof you're not gay. I'm your proof."

"I know that. After this I want a favor."

"If Jaken is still in denial, you'll get the favor."

"Fox demon, I never thought you were like this. Don't do it!" Jaken spouts angrily, as he squirms in Shippo's arms.

"That was more passion this time. You can do it." "Shippo, it's okay."

"If someone sees you, Shippo, I can say Kagome has been giving you futuristic lessons. Artificial breathing, CPR, whatever she's calling it."

Shippo takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I can do this. I'll just pretend this is Rai I'm kissing." He holds back, trying to resist the urge to jerk away. "I'm a man, damn it." He kisses Jaken on his beak, reluctantly.

"There's no mistake about Shippo's sexual orientation. He's straight," laughs Sesshomaru.

"Sorry I had to put you through that, babe." Rai reaches across the counter, taking Shippo's hand with hers. She kisses his fist, delicately.

Shippo jerks back from Jaken and sets him down on the counter. Shippo wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"How was that?"

"Rai's lips taste much better," comments Shippo.

"Wasn't asking you, dear. Jaken's quiet now."

"That doesn't mean a thing. Being kissed isn't my thing."

"You acted like you enjoyed it," replies Sesshomaru, trying to keep a straight face.

"No way. Eww, especially with the fox demon."

"What if I volunteered instead of Shippo?"

"My master kissing me? Seriously?" "But that'd mean nothing. Doesn't mean I'm gay?"

"How would kissing my father be different than kissing my boyfriend?" asks Rai.

"The fox is my enemy. I never kiss an enemy."

"Nor will you kiss a girl. The very thought makes you cringe," surmises Rai.

"That's not it. I just don't like you."

"What if the woman was Rin?" asks InuYasha, "You were with her enough. Did she ever kiss you?"

"I seem to recall she has kissed you several times," thinks Sesshomaru, "Every time, you rejected her affections. I was curious why you got jealous when she grew up and became my wife. At first I thought I stole her away from you, and that's why you were jealous. Now that think about it, it was the other way around. You didn't want her taking me away."

"That's not true."

"Then why do you get miffed when I drop hints about wanting to sleep with her. When we're really getting into it, I can hear you sulking."

"Chichi-ue, there's another test to see whether he might be gay or not. If you don't object to a little sexual act."

"Right here?" asks Sesshomaru.

"I won't make love, not in front of you. It's nothing terrible, but I'm guess I'm glad Miroku isn't here."

Rai stands up from her seat and walks to the right corner of the counter, on Sesshomaru's side of the diner. She unsheathes Naosusaiga and stabs it in the ground. "This will create a barrier of invisibility. It allows only those inside the barrier to see what's going on. Passers by won't be able to see us. The only way they can see you is if you leave the barrier."

"I knew you had something up this morning. I saw a tiny cabin but couldn't see anyone or smell anyone until Shippo emerged from the cabin."

"Well I had that up all night, in case you smelled us," smiles Rai, sheepishly.

"I'm not even going to ask. You obviously enjoy being with Shippo. How close is none of my business."

"I might make something your business. I've said he's the only man who's allowed to touch me." She walks behind the counter and stands in front of Shippo. She removes her armor and places it on the counter, showing her white lace top crisscross in front of her breasts. She shows the curvy shape of her body, like an hourglass. "At this moment, please just think of me as some girl you just met. I'm not Sesshomaru's daughter, just some girl you know. Pretend at least."

"I don't need to pretend," laughs Sesshomaru, "You're a very sexy woman. Isn't that right, little brother?"

InuYasha studies Rai's body. "Uh…huh…yeah."

"You're not paying attention," sighs Sesshomaru.

Jaken looks at Rai, not saying anything.

"So what's the reason for the stupid barrier?" asks InuYasha.

Rai guides Shippo's hands over her breasts. Then she shrugs off the straps of her top, letting her chest roll out.

"So what. Kagome does that all the time. She shows me hers all the time."

"What does it do to you?" asks Sesshomaru.

"Shippo, this is your reward for kissing Jaken." Shippo cups his hands over her breasts and squeezes gently.

"Rin's been asking me to do this. I do it during sex, but not any other time."

"This sort of thing pleases women. But you do it with the girl you're with," remarks Rai. She rolls her eyes back. "Shippo, don't stop. That feels…awesome. Think you hit a good spot."

"I know Kagome enjoys that. She purrs like a kitten when I touch her."

"You didn't answer my question. What does it do for you, little brother?"

"I know what it's doing to me," winces Shippo, "It's like I've got a log in my pants."

"That's the feeling I get, fox demon," laughs Sesshomaru. "When I touch her, I get that way."

"Question is…keep it there…"

"If I keep it up, my thing will bust through my pants," whispers Shippo, "How about you turn around and I'll scratch your back."

Rai refits the straps of her top, and then turns her back to him. "Careful with your claws; I've got a scar back there that hasn't quite healed all the way."

"I'll be gentle. I'll make sure I won't reopen it." Rai sits on a stool beside Shippo's. She parts her long hair in the back, letting it hang across both of her shoulders. Shippo lifts up her top in the back. He starts rubbing his claws gently across her back.

"I hardly see anything."

"I didn't say it was big."

"I was about to ask you fellas, when you saw him touching me, did it turn you on?"

"I certainly liked it," comments Sesshomaru, "I won't do it today because she's sick. But when it passes, I'll see if Rin wants that done to her."

"I've got some white berries from Mount Hiei growing in the back of this shop. They're excellent on sour stomachs. You may take some to her when you leave."

"What was the point of that?" asks InuYasha, "What kind of test was that for?"

"I don't think it was a real test," laughs Sesshomaru, "I think she just wanted her boobs rubbed. What'd you think, Jaken?"

"Snz…huh? Wasn't paying attention. What happened?"

"You gave me an idea of what to do for Kagome tonight. She's not as open as you two are, but I want to do something. Tonight is her grandfather's funeral."

"I wouldn't do it tonight," sighs Rai, "Her mind will be on him. If I can, I might attend his funeral with her."

"You don't know the man. I'm not sure if you can crossover to her world anyways. I'm the only one who can."

"Can't really assume anything. If I can get through Hell's Labyrinth, I might be able to time travel. I've got all kinds of spells I can use."

"Still what's the point of attending a funeral for someone you don't know?"

"Normally I wouldn't, but this is her grandfather. I know what it is to have a grandfather. I also felt his pain when he told me how he died and what he went through. He felt his heart breaking knowing he'd leave his children without moral guidance. He loved his sons. His death pained him. He's sorry it happened."

"Whom is she talking about? Kagome's grandpa?" InuYasha asks. He looks over at Sesshomaru and sees him stare at the counter with a low sad expression.

"She's speaking of our father," sighs Sesshomaru, trying to keep himself together.

"Chichi-ue, when you fell asleep in the doorway, after going through the cave, did you remain there?"

"I don't know. When I woke up, I was in this room full of soft cushions. While I was sleeping, I did feel someone lifting me up and carrying me in his arms. I figured it was one of the monks."

"Wasn't a monk. Jii-chan did that," Rai explains while tears start forming in Sesshomaru's eyes. "He materialized and carried your body himself. He knew you were in deep pain over his loss. It was his way of apologizing to you for leaving you like that." Sesshomaru bites his lip, trying to keep from crying.

"H…He's the one? Chichi-ue? But how?"

Jaken watches his master's face contort. "How dare you, stupid wench? Why are you making my master suffer like this? You know his father's death upsets him, so why are you doing this? I've got a good mind to…"

"Enough, Jaken! I needed to know. She's more connected with my father than I am." Rai sees her father trying to hold back his tears. She leaps off the stool and runs out from behind the counter to the front. She sits on a stool beside Sesshomaru, opposite of Jaken.

"I'm sorry. He wanted to tell you for such a long time. He told me if I saw you to tell you the truth upon his behalf."

Rai slides off the stool and embraces her father. She escorts him to his feet and leads him out of the barrier, leading him behind the store. She embraces him again. "Let it go, Chichi-ue. You need to. Jii-chan wanted to let you know."

"What does he think of me? Is it true he misses me?"

"He loves you. He thinks you've become a fine man. He's proud of you. He says he loves how you've got a human for a wife. He says the way you take care of your hanyou children, is just how he raised you and wished that's how he'd raised InuYasha, had he lived. He loves both his sons and hasn't stopped thinking about you. He never meant you to carry such hatred towards your only little brother. He was hoping you would love him. Please stop fighting, because it's pointless."

"It's almost like he's talking through you now. Is he here now?" Rai nods her head with tears dripping down her face.

"He's right beside you. He's whispering this to me. Please honor his wishes. He's begging you to."

"Tell him I'll try. I'll be…" Sesshomaru covers his face with his right hand. "Chichi-ue, I love you and miss you. Thank you for giving Rai your clairvoyance so she can reunite us like th…" Sesshomaru collapses to the ground, no longer able to keep his heart from bursting. Rai kneels in front of him, shielding him from onlookers.

Rai holds him close, kissing his forehead. "You're just like your mother. When I'm feeling like this, she comforts me," he snuffles through the tears pouring down his face.

"I know. Just let it go. You'll feel better."

"Could I see him? There's so much I want to tell him." Sesshomaru looks at Rai through tear-soaked eyes. Rai lifts up the front flap of her white lace skirt and tries cleaning off his face.

"The best way is tonight in your sleep. He'll appear to you. He looks just as he did when he was alive. He's promising he'll come see you, and rarely does Jii-chan back out on his promises."

Rai stands back up, holding up her palm. "Hang tight, Chichi-ue." She walks back around to the front of the store. She whispers to Shippo to hand her a cleaning rag.

"Is he alright back there?" Shippo asks. Rai nods.

"He'll be fine. I think telling him what Jii-chan told me overwhelmed him. Well, it's how you felt when you saw your father again in that dream. You cried too."

"This is the first time I've seen Sesshomaru of all people break down like this. I thought he had control of his emotions."

"It doesn't matter how strong a person is, but no child regardless of his age goes through life heartless. You're always going to hold a special candle for your parents. In a child's eyes, his father will always be king."

"Thanks for that," smiles Shippo, biting his lip, "That's how I feel about my father. I knew that already, but it's comforting to hear it from you, Rai."

Rai walks back with the rag and finds her father sitting on the ground. "I overheard what you said to the fox demon. I find your words comforting."

"Yeah and you're crying again. Define comforting again." She sits in front of him and continues to clean off his face.

"It's weird. You're my child and yet you're taking care of me. Should be the other way around."

"What does that matter? I take care of you, because who besides Haha-ue will?"

"I can manage. I'm a man and your father, I should act like it."

"Then here, old man," she hands him the rag, "You can blow your own nose. I'm not touching that."

"What? You can handle Kagome with the major throw up, but nose snot grosses you out?"

Rai stands up and offers Sesshomaru a hand up. He stands and continues holding her hands. "Come here," he whispers. He embraces her, wrapping his arms around her. "Rai, have I every told you how much I love you? You're my favorite daughter."

"I'm you're only daughter."

"I know that, that's why you're my favorite. You're the best woman, besides your mother, in my life. I'm so glad you've found a man to love. You've chosen the fox demon, Shippo. I'll be interested to know what sort of grandchildren you'll give me, half dog/half fox." Rai laughs at his comment about Shippo.

"You don't care he's a fox?"

"I've got a rule not to choose my children's love partners. I know many human parents betroth their kids. I don't do that, nor does your mother. There is one plus, your children will be mostly demon. Foxes are related to dogs. Could have been worse, if you fell in love with a salamander or a warty toad. Then I might have problems." Rai chuckles at him.

"I hate toads, well except for Jaken. What if I fell for him?"

"That squirrelly old fart? Then I'd worry. Thank goodness that didn't happen."

"Is he really…you know?"

"I'm not going to guess. I don't really care. I don't think he has a love interest. Jaken's not a ladies man and if he is gay, he hides it well."

"Then what I did was put him on the spot. Are you mad at me for that?"

"No. That was funny. I also didn't mind the 'Sexy' show. At that point I became just a man not a father. Your mother does the same thing. She does that to arouse me for sex. That's her favorite place to be touched and I'm the only man she wants touching them."

Rai walks with Sesshomaru to the front of the store. "Where's Oji(san)?"

"He left," shrugs Shippo, "He said he had to take care of something. Then left for the sacred forest. Probably waiting for Kagome."

"I've got to leave too. Coming Jaken?"

"Yes sir."

"You must take the white berries…" Sesshomaru shows Rai a plucked branch in his hand.


	9. Chapter 9

"So, Shippo," Rai sighs, as she draws her sword from the ground, disabling the barrier, "What next?"

"I don't know. We could clean this up." Rai sets to work, picking up the soiled trays. She walks with the trays to the back of the shop and sets them in a deep ceramic bucket filled with water. She carries the bucket to the stove, letting the heat break up the food. "Wish we had something to wash this. Soap stone, mineral water…"

Shippo hands her a plastic bottle of clear goopy liquid. Rai opens the lid cautiously, "What's this stuff? Smells lemony."

"Kagome brought that over from her country. She says it's for washing dishes." Shippo demonstrates by squirting a portion of the contents into the water. Shippo stands behind Rai, draping himself over her shoulders.

"Is this how you wash dishes?"

He pretends to ignore her and proceeds to squeeze her breasts with his hands. Rai loosens her crisscross straps, letting her breast roll out into his hands. "Thought you were afraid your thing was coming out."

"I made that part up about being afraid. I want it out." Rai turns around and sticks one of her soapy hands down his pants. "Oh yeah."

"That's the prize you really wanted. Couldn't very well please you with Oji(san) and Chichi-ue watching." Shippo rolls his eyes back and bites his lip. He holds her body close so nobody could see.

"Keep doing that, just like…oh yeah…" He closes eyes, rocking his head back and forth. He opens his eyes and glances over at the counter, seeing Sango sitting in Sesshomaru's old spot. "Sango's here," he whispers.

"Yeah Sango lives here. I knew that."

"No I mean here, at the diner."

"Oh!" shrieks Rai, withdrawing her hand quickly. "Hey, Shippo, I found what you were searching for." Rai feels something sticky on her hand and sticks it in soapy water. "I'll be there in a second. I just got…rice stuck to my hands." She walks over to the counter, wiping off her hand with a cleaning rag.

"Um…okay," smirks Sango. "Where's Shippo?"

"He's just stepped outside. The tea he drank went right through him, but he'll be right back." "S…so what are you doing down here?"

"Rai, are you hiding something from me?" Sango starts to laugh. "You've got this look of guilt."

"I was hiding…this," Rai pulls something from under the counter.

"That's a pair of chopsticks."

"So it is. Must be sacred chopsticks the old man left behind."

"There's no such thing as sacred chopsticks. Rai, what were you doing?"

"Nothing…much…"

"Rai, I know that look. That's the same look Miroku used to give me when he fondled my ass. It's the sheepish perverted look."

"Don't be mad, I was…"

"Rai, I'm not mad. Let me guess, you touched him."

"Maybe, well I made him kiss Jaken. I had to reward Shippo with something. I let him grab my breasts. Can't tell you how good that feels."

"You're lucky you're open like this, so early into this relationship. When Miroku and I started, he was so touchy-feely and I couldn't trust him. I hated him touching me. I'd slap him raw. It took me a long time to be open to his ways."

"Sango have you ever just let yourself go? It feels so good. To be touched by the man you love."

"When we really got serious, yes I let him touch."

"Ever touched him? Down there?"

"Yeah. Miroku turns into putty. He coos like a baby."

"How is he this morning?"

"It's like all that throwing up crap didn't happen. Both he and Kagome slept through the night. In the middle of the night he woke up, and was going through the motions of vomiting, but all that came up was this dry stuff. It's the same crap elderly folks hack up after smoking."

"I figured that's all that would happen. That experience is not the flu. Viruses carry no order or expectation. They strike whenever. What you experienced is controlled and works out of you system, wavering down until there's nothing left. But after you train in the cave, the nausea level dwindles over time so eventually you don't feel sick at all. The more times you go in, the fewer times you puke. I started when I was six and stopped throwing up all together at age twelve. The time varies, depending on age and initial tolerance level."

"I get it, so that's why you started training so young. A child's body is better at outgrowing stuff than an adult's."

Shippo walks back towards Rai and drapes himself around her neck. "It's a good thing you pulled back when you did," he whispers, "I was thirty seconds away from peeing in your hand."

"Is that so? So the tea really did go through you. Did you come back just to tell me that?" "Did you wash your hands?" Shippo nods.

"You want round two?" asks Shippo.

"Not now. Sango's right here, babe. Sorry, that came out bad. I didn't mean like how it sounded."

"It's okay. You're not just in love; you're actively participating in it. I've been like that at times."

"Well today's the last time I can just have sex without care. Tomorrow, I'll be losing my powers and I'm receptive then. It lasts for three days. Then when I become hanyou again after three days, the fertile time stops."

"So when you turn human, you might get pregnant then," surmises Sango. "Wish my cycles were that predictable."

"Then a week after that time, I bleed for three days. Inazuma would know when that time was coming and stand guard over me. He stays there, not even budging for something to eat, something to drink, or a place to pee. He can hold out for that long."

"I can protect you during that time, too," suggests Shippo.

"I'll bet three days is enough, especially for Inazuma."

"He's says he's glad it's only for three days. Day four, he races off to the nearest clearing, away from me and just goes. Three days of 'holding it' pours out."

"I can't do that," sighs Shippo.

"I can't either. I move around from the bush I'm sitting on to the ground to go. Sometimes I'm too tired from the bleeding, that I don't care and go on the bush." "Hey Shippo, while I'm bleeding for three days, how about I take you through the entire cave? I can even ask Carla to baby-sit my body. She's had my body when I was bleeding before."

"She can handle it?"

"What she does is sit on cushions? Or she will take it to a hot spring and set it in there, so the hot water relaxes it. There is a hot spring on the mountain."

"So you'll take me?" asks Shippo.

"I'll ask Diego if he can take over your body. He's a fox spirit too. He doesn't mind beginners. He'll take care of your body. He's got a spot around the cliffs where he likes to puke."

"Will he hear the noise too?"

"They don't have to hear it. They can feel what your body wants to do. When it's hungry they feed it, when it has to go they'll make sure it does its thing. When it has to puke, they will walk it to a spot on the cliffs and hold the mouth open."

"So while I'm in the cave, Diego will take over. Do I feel what the body does?"

"Most of the time, no. You might feel the urge to go. Then as you struggle to fight the urge, suddenly the struggle ends and you feel relaxed again. At that very point, Diego would have had it pee. That's normal. It happens to me all the time. Your body will function whether you're in it or not. At least with Rakutaka's servants taking over for you, you won't come back to a soiled, smelly body, reeking for vomit and urine."

"So how many tour this place?" asks Sango. "It sounds like these servants have had other customers."

"There have been so many. There have been monks, mikos, powerful demons, hanyous, other powerful humans…Jii-chan did say a young miko was in the cave about thirty years ago. Strangest thing was she wasn't killed before entering and never got sick. She must have been dead from the beginning."

"The only miko I know who…Kikyo? She was down there?" asks Sango.

"I never mentioned this while Oji(san) was down here," sighs Rai.

"Probably good you didn't. He was already miffed to learn Naraku attempted that cave too."

"Naraku realized he couldn't make it through. That was during the fifty years Oji(san) was sealed to the tree. At the same time your jewel vanished from this world, along with Kikyo's ghost."

"Why was he after it?" asks Sango.

"Put yourself in his position. The Shikon has disappeared. He's got this new body. He's miffed after all that work of trying to steal it for himself disappeared with Kikyo. Do you honestly believe he was going to wait forever, in case by some slim chance the Shikon might return?"

"So he tried to get the Jukon. And he wasn't able to get it?" asks Sango.

"He wasn't able to go through the trials, first of all. With most trainees, you've got only one soul. Your ghost is replaced by another while you train. Naraku was different. With all those demons in his body, getting his own soul out would have been impossible. There was another problem. Again put yourself in his place. After you have just had your body reconstructed with the demons you summoned, would you really be eager to just have someone you don't know baby-sit your body?"

"You make a point," sighs Sango, "Of course who'd want to take care of his body?"

"Also Rakutaka isn't a fool. He knew Naraku was evil from the beginning. He treated Naraku the very same way he treats Nakuhebi. He makes taking the test next to impossible. Chichi-ue told me Naraku had enough and decided to go in the cave. Unfortunately for Naraku's sake, he wasn't killed first. If you aren't killed first, it doesn't take long until your body feels the affects. Naraku never made it past two miles before he had to bolt straight out and barely made it outside. He threw up at the mouth of the cave, made a huge mess." "Then Rakutaka gave him the worst nightmare. Much worse than you experienced."

"What's the difference?" asks Sango.

"All you did was pee in your sleep. That's the mildest form of the dreams. The worst versions give you a massive heart attack and you die for real. Rakutaka almost made Naraku die from the dream."

"That would have made things so easy if Rakutaka killed him off. A great evil like he was needed to be exterminated."

"I just wish nothing that bad on anyone, no matter how good or evil they are. You're reduced to a mere child in those dreams. I'll bet Naraku cried his eyes out after what he saw."

"You almost act sympathetic to him," sneers Sango, "Naraku crying is so…impossible. He's so evil."

"It doesn't matter. Those dreams affect you, regardless of your stance on this world. No demon, human, or hanyou is immune to the dreams. That demon-wannabe was included. The dreams and the aura of the place are meant to deter lesser humans and demons to enter. Many times you get new trainees who quit after the first few practices because they couldn't take their stomachs turning on them. Some people got so scared by even the mild versions of the nightmares that they never returned. You have to really want the Jukon to get to it."

"What about the folks taking the test?" asks Shippo.

"I said you have three days to complete the test. You journey ten miles for the entire three days. Your body is dead, so it doesn't require sleep. But after three days, it starts to deteriorate. You start decomposing. Many humans and hanyous never made it and were forced to leave their bodies behind. That's why there are so many ghosts in the cave. They're lost souls without bodies to attach to. Sometimes though you get people attacked by dead dogs. That couple we met; he was in the middle of taking a leak when both were attacked. They now live where they lost their bodies."

"Does anyone exorcize these ghosts?" asks Shippo.

"Some of the monks in the temple have tried, but the ghosts rather stay there. It's good there are so many, because three days in there can get lonely. Chichi-ue said while he was there, taking the test, he missed his father so badly he broke into tears. A female ghost saw him and comforted him."

"Unusual thing. Sesshomaru, as tough as he is, crying like that. That passage must be something for him to get upset."

"He was sitting here earlier and was getting really emotional," confirms Shippo. "She mentioned stuff about his father and he was on the verge of breaking down. That's the first time I've seen him like that."

"I took him behind the shop and let him cry. It was breaking my heart to see him hold back, making himself suffer."

"You're a good daughter," sighs Sango. "When my father was alive, if he got blue, I helped to comfort him. I miss him still; him and the village of demonslayers. I miss my brother. I haven't seen him since Naraku's destruction. I don't know if Kohaku is alive or dead."

"I can reach them for you. I can call forth the souls of the dead, as well as those still living. I'm going to help Chichi-ue tonight reunite with his father."

Miroku approaches behind Sango, kissing her on the neck. "Are you finished with preparing Raniku's body?"

"I've had enough with being around a dead body. I want to deal with a living one, particularly yours."

"Not now, I've got a headache."

"But Shippo's messing with Rai's boobs," whines Miroku.

"Shippo's not a lecher. Rai's letting him do that."

"Oh just let him. It feels wonderful," sighs Rai.

"I promise I'll be gentle. Please, Sango?"

"I don't know."

"Sango, the real bonus is if plays with your nipples. Shippo, could you reach under my…? Oh yeah. That's good."

"Uh! That's not fair," whines Miroku. "Rai trusts Shippo just like that. This is only day two of this relationship and she doesn't even slap him."

"Miroku, Shippo's not eager to have sex with any young woman he can find. He only wants Rai. He's chosen his future wife and mother of his children. Rai the same wants him only. This relationship, even this brand new, has a lot of potential."

"Chichi-ue approves of Shippo. He's interested in what type of grandchildren he'll get."

"Sesshomaru's already thinking of grandparenthood. He knows Rai won't sway to other men, nor will Shippo to other women. He's got a good eye for these things, especially now that he's a father."

"Do you want me to fix you two something?" offers Rai. "I can reheat the tea at least. I've also got strawberry juice and rice. I can make you strawberry rice balls."

"Strawberry rice balls?" asks Sango, "Rice balls are sweet on their own usually."

"That requires a sugar base or honey. Strawberries carry their own sweetness and are very flavorful."

"I've had them," confirms Shippo, "They taste like those strawberry candies Kagome always gave me when I was little."

"I can make you candy. I used to make this cashew brittle with the sugar imports I bought in Kyoto. I would make it for my classmates."

"Actually, Rai, can I take over for you?" asks Sango. "I can cook stuff too. I've made rice balls before. I'll try this strawberry flavor. What vegetable do you use?"

"I've been using a sliver of carrot. Why do you want to take over?"

"You look like you need to be somewhere."

"I want to pay Koga a visit. I stood him up yesterday."

"I know where his den is. I can take you there," offers Shippo.

Rai removes the armor from the counter and straps it on herself. She grabs her swords and secures them under her belt. Shippo stands outside the shop and transforms into a fox. Rai bows to Sango and Miroku, and then quickly mounts Shippo.

"Please take off now." Shippo quickly flies off into the air.

"What's your rush? We'll be on time."

"Before we get to his den, can we head into the forest?"

"There's a forest on the way to the den." Shippo flies across the land. She looks down and sees empty fields below her.

"Never mind, this is fine. Set me down now."

"Why what's the matter? You're squirming back there, like you can't sit still."

"I don't have much time," she winces.

He lands in a grassy hill, just shy of the forest ahead of them. Rai leaps off his back and pulls her leggings down and pulls the back flap of her skirt away from her ass. Just as soon as her bare ass touches the ground, a quick steady flow of urine exits her body.

"That's what I wanted."

"Oh, you could have peed back at the shop."

"No, I couldn't," she sighs heavily. "What if someone saw me? Besides that's the real reason both Chichi-ue and Oji(san) left in such a hurry."

"The tea went through them too. Well I can see Sesshomaru not wanting anyone watching him do something mortal. InuYasha just feels the need to sneak around and hide anything he does. He won't even kiss Kagome if someone's watching him do it. He also won't touch her with anyone watching."

Rai feels herself slowly finish, then waits before standing back up. "Wow, I thought that wouldn't stop." She staggers back up, keeping her feet from stepping in the puddle she just made. "That's rare for me."

"That's from tea?"

Rai holds her hands under her body, letting the dragon's heat dry her off. She hesitates, then slowly pulls her leggings back up. "That felt good, losing all of that."

She climbs back on Shippo, and he flies back into the air. "Shippo, I think that was from a combination of things. That tea, of course, was the main cause. Then I had my hands in that warm water, and also you played with me. All that and add the passage of time, and you end up pushing out what seems like a small pond."

"So you went now."

"Better than wetting myself while on my way to see Koga. I'm not that excited about meeting him. Besides how would you feel if you felt me going on your back?"

"You've got a point." He shakes his head, while flying on further.

Suddenly Rai sniffs the air with a sneer on her face. "Shippo, do you smell that?"

"I was noticing the stench too. Reeks of those serpents." "Isn't Inazuma here? I don't sense him."

"He's defending the village. I don't need his help all the time, nor does he need mine. He can easily defend against demon attacks on his own. This isn't the first time I left him to defend a village on his own. Whenever I'm in the cave, most of the time he's watching over the surrounding area."

"What if he finds Crimson shards?"

"There's a chamber in his stomach where he keeps them. It's a chamber that he's doesn't use for digestion, just storage. When we meet again, he'll regurgitate the pieces so I can hide them in Hono'osaiga's sheath," Rai whispers.

She clasps her hand around Hono'osaiga, watching the sky with a low growl.

"The aura seems to be heading towards Koga's mountains." Rai and Shippo watch the sky turning black. Serpents emerge from the black clouds, surrounding them.

"Keep your guard up. It's just like back as Souten's place. Serpents like inviting demons from the region, looking for their five minutes of fame."

"This is in Koga's territory," informs Shippo, "Things can get ugly quickly."

"Whom are you referring to? These serpents or that half-wit wolf." Rai unsheathes Hono'osaiga and starts wrapping its blade in flames. Rai leaps off Shippo's back and hastily flies onto a tree.

A serpent quickly pursues her and she flies straight at it, slashing her sword at it, cutting off its head. Immediately after the first kill, two more serpents fly at her with their mouths open. Suddenly their mouths turn red. Rai juts out of the way, just as one of the serpents hurls a ball of fire from its mouth.

"Shippo! Watch out! We've got fire-breathers."

"I know. The guy I just killed showed me." Shippo reverts quickly back to his demon form and flies quickly the trees, both fists engulfed in foxfire. He strikes out at three serpents, incinerating their bodies to ashes with his flames. He growls ferociously, baring his fangs. He quickly spots three pig demons approaching him. They quickly close in, drawing him towards an open area. Shippo quickly realizes an ambush and strikes out at the pigs, burning them alive.

Rai leaps to Shippo's area and stands behind him. "Tired, lover boy?"

"Not even. That breakfast is giving all the energy I need."

"Why are you stalling?" hisses a serpent, "Are you scared?"

"Of you? Keep dreaming? Why are you stalling…unless?" "Shippo, he's here."

"You mean." Suddenly a burst of venomous wind blows by them. In the clearing stand a tall man with olive scaly skin, long black hair, and the yellow eyes of a snake. He wears a black kimono with an emerald snake blazed on his front and back. He wears a black hakama and wooden sandals on his feet. "He looks like Naraku."

"Naraku, you say? Don't make me laugh. I'm nothing like that asshole," the man hisses, "That bastard held me back for far too long."

"The only thing different about you, Nakuhebi, is you don't listen or take hints well," growls Rai, "How many servants must I waste until you get the point?"

"Rai, I know you have the shards. All I want is for you to hand them to me. Rakutaka promised me, not you, that I could get through the mountain."

"That's a lie and you know it. He doesn't want you there."

"Why did he make you go through the training? So you can get your hands on the Jukon, be serious."

"All you want to do is steal it and bring the land back to chaos."

"All I want is to return what your granddaddy stole from me. But like any dog, he was so stubborn. This land was paradise before that worthless mutt ruined things."

"You want to make me really mad? Keep smearing the name of the Great Dog General and you'll have me to deal with."

"You worthless little hanyou pup. What can you do?"

"Shippo, you wanted to see ugly. I'll show you what ugly is." Rai resheathes her sword and envelops a cloud around her body. Her eyes immediately turn red and her face quickly develops into that of a dog. A raging flame engulfs her body. She shifts her body to all fours, with her hands and feet developing into a dog's. Then just as the cloud and flames enveloped her, they dissipate, revealing her body transformed into a twelve-foot tall white dog, similar to her father's true form. Fiery saliva fumes from her hot breath, scorching the ground with every drip.

"Prepare yourself, Nakuhebi. Your fate is sealed." Shippo transforms back into his fox form and stands ready beside Rai. One of the serpents advances towards Rai and she bites it in half, stabbing it in the heart with her fangs. She swerves towards Nakuhebi, breathing fire at him.

"I thought you dog demons didn't breath fire."

"Thank the dragon's heart I swallowed. He's providing the fire for me. If you're looking for an early funeral, I'll burn your body for you." She growls, charging at Nakuhebi. He flings poison gas her way. She quickly dodges and quickly hurls fire from her mouth. Nakuhebi quickly dodges from her flames and attempts to strike her with his own fang swords.

"Shippo, be careful with his sword. His venom is in the blade." Shippo nods and continues chasing after Nakuhebi's serpents.

In the midst of battle, Rai smells Sesshomaru's scent. She sees him transformed and landing swiftly beside her. "I can handle him, Chichi-ue."

"I know you can, but I can't let my little girl fight him alone. Will you stand back?"

"Chichi-ue, you know my answer to that."

"So what made you transform?"

"He insulted Jii-chan, what else? Why did you transform?"

"Same reason."

"Did I hit a nerve with you pathetic dogs?" asks Nakuhebi.

"Snake, you keep digging that grave. I'll put you in there," Rai growls, slashing at him. Sesshomaru encircles Nakuhebi from behind. He sinks his poisonous fangs into Nakuhebi's body, filling it with his very own miasma. Rai holds down Nakuhebi's body and bites him, adding her fire to her father's miasma. Quickly both fatal blows consume Nakuhebi's body and he disappears from sight.

"Is he dead?" asks Shippo.

"Hardly! That was a servant disguised as him. Don't rest just yet, we've got more coming."

"So are you going to change back, Rai?" asks Sesshomaru.

"After the trouble I went through to get this body, no way. I'm not done with it. I'll revert back after the battle is over."

"Rai, if you stay like that, you'll wear yourself out too soon. You're only a hanyou, after all." 'Even I get worn out afterwards.'

Rai sighs and revert back to her original form and immediately withdraws her Hono'osaiga. "Chichi-ue, you want to see what else I can do?"

"Of course, I want to see this myself. I missed it yesterday."

Rai sniffs the air and senses the presence of wolves surrounding the demons attacking Shippo, Sesshomaru, and herself. "Koga! I know you're here. If you value your lives, tell your men to back five hundred feet away from this clearing."

"Five hundred this time?" asks Shippo.

"There are no villages in this region. I'm going to clean out this forest for these wolves. I at least owe that to Koga for standing him up yesterday." Shippo flies off five hundred feet from Rai. Sesshomaru dashes away from Rai too, leaving her to face the encircling horde of demons alone.

"That mutt wench is suicidal. What's she thinking?" grumbles Koga. Shippo flies straight at him, lifting him quickly on his back. "Who the hell are you, fox?"

"Can't believe you've forgotten me. Never mind that, Koga, you need to heed her warning."

The rest of the serpents and forest demons draw close around her. "She's just a stupid hanyou. Nothing but trash," grumbles one of the forest demons.

"I'll go for her limbs. She'll be a tasty morsel. She has no hope," snickers one of the serpents.

Rai stabs the ground with her sword and grasps the top of the handle. She closes her eyes and holds her left hand in a prayer stance. "Hono'o Hi En Korosu!" she chants, "Zetsumetsu no Jigoku! Gohyaku ni fito!" Suddenly an array of fire draws out from the sword and quickly forms a five hundred foot fiery barrier, engulfing the entire forest in flames in the immediate circle. Demons of all types are quickly incinerated in the blast. Some die immediately, while others burn alive screaming in agony.

"Koga, did you see that? That chick killed everything," shouts one of the wolf demons.

"She's scary, like Kagome."

"No, worse. Like her old man. If we ever picked a fight with her, she'd kill us."

Rai looks around at the chard lifeless clearing. She resheathes Hono'osaiga and takes out Naosusaiga. She sweeps the air with its blade, creating a cooling breeze. Immediately the forest is restored to life and the innocent creatures return from death. Rai sets straight to work combing the area for Crimson fragments. She finds huge clusters of the shards in various spots. She sifts through the stones, picking out the dull shards.

Shippo flies back and transforms back into his demon form. He immediately gets to work, looking for dull shards.

Sesshomaru flies to Rai and hands her a handful of Crimson shards. Rai slides them all down inside Hono'osaiga's sheath. "I'm heading back. I need to check on your mother."

"Did you give her the white berries?"

"Yes and when I left her, she fell asleep."

"They put you to sleep. That's how the berries work their magic. By the time she wakes up, Haha-ue should be feeling better." Sesshomaru nods then flies off like a rocket.

"I didn't see anymore pieces, only ten shards." Rai opens her sheath and lets Shippo slide the shards down. "I'm still surprised they don't come out when you unsheathe your sword."

"The sheath absorbs the shards. There is a way to remove the shards. The only way is with a spell only Jii-chan knows. He won't tell it to me until the Crimson chards are all collected and we're standing at the mouth of the cave for the test. That's the only thing I can have with me for the test."

Rai looks around and sees the wolves cautiously approaching them. She notices the rocky land and rolling river flowing from the direction of the wolf den. "Shippo, what's the matter? You look nervous."

"I just have bad memories of this place. When I first met Koga and his men, it wasn't on friendly terms."

"Yeah but you got past those memories. You can't hold onto them forever." Rai sniffs at him then looks at his face. "Are you okay?"

Shippo winces while clinging his right fist. "I just got a little cut. One of the forest demons bit me. I think one of those pigs."

Rai quickly unbuttons his shirt and sees a gash on his right shoulder. She watches blood oozing profusely from the wound. "He really got you."

"But I'm feeling fine. It doesn't hurt." Rai sits him down next to a tree. "What's going on? I can't see. Am I dying?"

"No, just fainting. You stay there and don't move." She glances at the wolves approaching them. "Koga, please call your wolves! I know they can smell he's injured."

Rai pulls Shippo's handkerchief from his pocket and dashes down to the bank of the river. She glances at Koga standing in the shallows of the river. She looks back at Shippo. "Can't you see he's in no shape to fight?" she asks looking up at Koga.

Koga leaps over to Shippo. "We protected your pack. Please don't…"

"Hanyou mutt, I have no interest in killing an injured man. You think I'm that cruel? We're making sure no other demons get to him."

Rai soaks the rag in the river then hurries back to Shippo. She makes a headband out of the cold wet rag and places it across his forehead.

Koga stares at the fox demon, trying to place his face in his mind. "Who is he, Koga?" asks Ginta.

"He called me by name, like he knew me. He looks like that runt fox, Shippo, but this has to be his older brother."

Shippo slowly comes to and opens his eyes. Rai looks at him. "You've come back to me, thank goodness."

"Rai, what just happened? We found the shards then, I don't remember."

"You passed out."

"Ow, my arm. The pain returned. I can't even move my arm."

Rai pulls out her Naosusaiga and holds its blade against his shoulder. "Hold still. It'll feel better soon."

"What are you doing?" shrieks Koga. "Are you going to injure him more?"

"I'm healing him. This is my healing sword." Koga watches as the cooling aura from the blade envelops Shippo's shoulder and arm. Quickly, he sees the power repair the wound and stop the bleeding. Within minutes, Shippo's shoulder returns to normal with the pain vanishing.

"How do you feel, Shippo?" asks Rai. Koga stares at him in shock.

"Better actually. You even cured it from this morning. It was feeling stiff when I woke up."

"No surprise. That was such a tiny cabin. The guy who owned it certainly wasn't Closter phobic."

"Wait, you're Shippo? That little fox child?"

"It's been thirty years since we've last met," informs Shippo, "I've grown up since then."

"If you're here, Kagome's got to be with you. Where is she?"

"At home," replies Rai, "Her ojisan passed on so…"

"Oh geez, her grandfather," Koga winces, "Sorry to hear that. So what killed him?"

"He's human, so age," figures Rai. "Humans have a limited lifespan."

"So where were you yesterday? I waited for you."

"Sorry about that. I had something more important, like showing everyone the cave in Mount Hiei."

"You went to that creepy place? So you all went to that cave. Kagome was with you then. I should have gone with you."

"First of all we were in ghost form. That's the best way for beginners to enter."

"I'm no beginner. I've been by there and that stench was enough to deter me."

"You've been by but never went in?"

"Rai, is it best to discuss this out here?" asks Shippo.

"We can go back to the den, if you're scared, fox," taunts Hakkaku.

"Huh, I'm more worried if Nakuhebi is spying on us."

"He's right. That battle isn't the only one."

"Follow me, Rai. Shippo."

"Do you need me to transform?"

"I can fly short distances. Only long distance flying is difficult." Rai tails after Koga through the forest and mountain passes, leaping over the treetops. Shippo follows after her, along with several members of the wolf tribe.

Rai and Shippo race towards a canyon with walls covered in vegetation. Rai breaks across the river, towards the falls. She follows Koga towards a smaller canyon pocket. Finally they reach the short waterfall overlooking the heart of Koga's den. Rai steps through the small, enclosing cave. Shippo follows behind her, still feeling nervous about Koga's cave. His memories of being kidnapped with Kagome haunt him even still.

Rai turns around and embraces him. "It's okay. I know this place is uncomfortable for you. Just know I'm here with you."

"I'll try to calm down." Rai holds his hand and escorts him to the soft straw mat on the floor.

Shippo sits on the mat facing Koga. Rai slides her hand under his shirt, scratching his back with her claws. Koga watches her with interest, as Shippo becomes soothed by her back rub. "What's going on? What's this fox to you, Rai?"

"He's my boyfriend. We're together."

"Ah, so the daughter of the dog demon, Sesshomaru, chose this fox demon for her future husband." "Doesn't matter, Fox. She's not half as cute as Kagome."

"That's your opinion alone. Rai's my girl and is the hottest one I've ever seen." Rai blushes from hearing Shippo's comment about her.

Rai shakes her head. "Gentlemen, getting back to the matter…Koga I sense you have Crimson Jewel shards in your presence. You have six under your armor. It'll do you greatly to hand them over."

"You threatening me?" sneers Koga.

"Koga, those serpents you saw are after them," explains Rai, "That man you saw, with that green skin and black kimono. That was a servant looking like Nakuhebi. Nakuhebi is after the Crimson Jewel of Life because it's a direct link to another jewel, the Crystal Stone of Jukon."

"The ten-soul jewel? I've heard about this legendary jewel from my elders. It's said those who seek this jewel must undergo a rigorous test and must be able to tolerate the harsh conditions of the path leading to it." "So did you concur it?"

"Just with my ghost. In fact that's how you train. Your soul must be separated from your body. You must allow for someone to possess it and take over its care, while you train. The trail is ten miles and a three-day trip on foot."

"On your foot. I could get through ten miles in one day," smirks Koga.

"You can? With a dead body?"

"Dead?" shrieks Koga, "Why dead? I refuse to be killed."

"Rakutaka kills you before you enter. You must walk your own corpse for the entire ten miles. Demonic powers may be used, but only at a minimum. If used too much, your body will decompose quicker."

"Then what if I go there alive?" asks Koga.

"You wouldn't last five minutes in the cave. Or rather your stomach wouldn't."

"What do you mean my stomach?"

"Koga, I saw this myself," sighs Shippo. "She means what you might be thinking. Of all the enemies you've ever fought against, your own body is the worst of them. You get really sick."

"Sick? Me? Never! I don't get sick. I'm not as weak as you might think."

"My father, Sesshomaru, went through the same training and test. Took him six years from getting sick. Even during the test, he got sick three times."

"The great dog demon got sick? Like a cold? Because I just don't picture a strong guy like him…impossible."

"No, like…" Shippo clasps his hand over his mouth and fakes the motions to vomit.

"If you entered the caves without being dead or going through the training…" Rai starts to explain.

"Eww, I get the message," Koga grimaces, sticking out his tongue. "I did that once after eating rotten meat. The guys here would know. Some of the wolves here had to carry me into the forest. Recalling that day," Koga shakes his head, "makes me nauseous now just thinking about it. My insides felt like they were burning, I had a raging temperature, and made a huge mess on the ground beside this one tree. I thought I wasn't going to stop either."

"That's what happens at those caves," recalls Shippo, "Kagome and Miroku experienced that first hand."

"You made Kagome get sick like that? How could you do that?"

"What could you have done?" asks Rai. "At least Shippo and I got back into our bodies in time to save Miroku's and Kagome's bodies from throwing up on themselves. If you were there, then we'd have three sick people to worry about."

"There's something else," recalls Shippo, "Just because you leave the cave, it doesn't leave you. This Rakutaka gives you a terrible nightmare."

"I've had nightmares before. How bad are we talking?"

"The mild versions make you pee in your sleep," replies Rai.

"I'm not the type to do that," snuffs Koga.

"Neither was InuYasha, but then he woke up with wet pants," replies Shippo.

"That mutt deserves it. He needs that."

"At least all you guys had to do was go in your sleep. If Rakutaka really doesn't want you in the cave, he will send you a nightmare so bad, you get a massive heart attack and die for real. This Naraku fellow would know something about that. Nakuhebi knows that too."

"Wait, Naraku was in that cave?"

"According to Jii-chan, he was there eighty years ago. After the fall of Kikyo and the disappearance of the Shikon jewel, Naraku changed his focus on the Jukon. The Jukon has even more power than the Shikon. Not only is the stone made of souls, it's also fused with Jii-chan's blood."

"So Naraku wanted it too. How come I never saw it in his hands? He was solely focused on the Shikon jewel."

"He gave up on the pursuit. When all attempts to have someone take over his body for him failed, he tried to take the test. He refused to be killed and only made it under two miles. Then he had enough time to bolt out of the cave and throw up big time at the mouth of the cave. Afterwards his dream was so bad that he almost died. Jii-chan said if Naraku had slept just a few minutes longer…well let's just say, Koga, you wouldn't have known him."

"Wish he had stayed asleep. I'll bet he woke up in a bed soaked in his own piss. Serves him right." "That cave must be something, if even the great evil Naraku was shaken by it."

"Not only that, but during Chichi-ue's test, he broke into tears. He was grieving over his father death for three years, but never broke. But in that cave, he says he hit a spot where all he could do was cry as hard as he could."

"Again something else for Sesshomaru to cry like a child in that place. Makes it all the least desirable place to be."

Koga sighs deeply, and then opens his armor. He retrieves all six dull shards and tosses them to Rai. Rai immediately slides them down the Hono'osaiga's sheath.

"That was wise of you," acknowledges Rai.

"Yeah well, I can't use them. I'm not going to that awful place. If it was enough to almost kill Naraku and made Sesshomaru feel like a child, then there's no way I can do it." "For you to talk about this cave…wait you've been through it?"

"At least 160 times with my ghost. And I'm almost twenty; I will be this summer. And the nightmares don't scare me anymore. They're more of a challenge. Sometimes I'll wake up and then relieve myself."

"Now that's normal. After I wake up, I do that every morning." "So you're fine with the cave and the dreams. Bravest wench I've met. Of course you taking on all those demons at once is even more proof of your bravery. You even fight like a man."

"That's the only way I know how to fight. I was the only girl in the dojo on Mount Hiei, but I never let that interfere with how I was trained. Not only do I have labyrinth training, I'm a skilled samurai."

"And a sorceress from what I can tell."

"Oh that. I've been that way since my birth, I guess. Sorcery just comes naturally. I've also got clairvoyance. I see the dead as they were when they were alive. I don't fear ghosts. In fact the cave being haunted is a good thing. When you're down there for three days, it can get lonely. Having it haunted feels more comforting. Sometimes I get a few friends who will travel with me. If I feel the need to cry, someone is always there to lean on. If I'm in a giggly mood, then I've got other ghosts to laugh with me."

"So you're a woman brave and skilled," sighs Koga.

"And dangerous to touch," shivers Shippo. "Especially with…"

"What's the problem? I touched yours and you liked it."

"You were gentle and even soothed them."

"Because I love you and won't harm you."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" asks Koga with a questionable stare.

"I was kidnapped once on purpose. This gang leader, Bruno, was having his members kidnap young girls so he could have his way with them. He and his gang were located to the south of Kyoto. He'd make these women into his slaves and do all sorts of things with them, including rape. My sensei wanted us to handle this mission to take his gang down. Since I was a girl and sixteen at the time, I offered to pose as a would-be victim. After trying to convince my sensei I could handle this, I was allowed to join the mission."

"Your sensei wouldn't let you at first?" asks Koga.

"Aside from Sesshomaru, Orosa-sensei was also a father to me. While at the dojo, he raised me and trained me in the martial arts. You could say I've got two fathers."

"Okay so back to this Bruno? What happened?" asks Koga.

"I was kidnapped off the streets. He forced me to strip naked. I don't think he realized I like the feeling, but I did as I was told. It's when he started to get fresh with me, that I turned on him. I attacked his eyes first, blinding him. He wasn't totally blinded, but he probably can't see well."

"So did he back off?" asks Shippo.

"He was pissed that I betrayed him. He came after me again. That's when I castrated him with my claws."

"By castrated…" Koga starts to ask in a shaky voice.

"I grabbed his balls, yanked them off his body, and threw them on the ground." Both Koga and Shippo cringe after hearing her story. "I got dressed and walked out with him bleeding and in a knot on the ground. When the police found him, they said he was crying, shivering, and peeing on himself. He said in his confession he's not dealing with women ever again."

"Now I know what you mean by dangerous," shivers Koga, holding himself, "Kagome's dangerous, but not like that. If I did that to you, would I lose my ability to make a baby with someone?"

"If you tried something without my permission, then perhaps. Or another option is I kill you so you don't have to worry about that." "The only man I'll allow to touch me is Shippo. He can grab wherever he wants and I won't harm him. I'll even return the favor and touch him."

"So those same claws that ruin the manhood of any guy, including me, caresses Shippo's manhood in softness," whines Koga, "I see. I'll tell my wolves you're off limits. What about that horse friend of yours?"

"I have nothing to worry about him. Inazuma's sexual desires are only for young beautiful fillies. He's the horse world's womanizer. He thinks human women are unattractive. My friendship with Inazuma is great but only platonic. Which is great for me, because my only desire now is for heart of this handsome fox demon seated beside me."

"Yeah and Kagome's heart is stolen by that stupid uncle of yours. She even married him and had kids with him."

"Thought there was only one daughter. InuYuzu's the only one she talks about."

"They had a son, Kito, but he got sick with something on her side of the well and died. He was only four," informs Shippo.

"So, Koga-sama, it was a pleasure meeting with you on more proper terms."

"What made this time better?"

"Well when you barged in on Sango and I, we were trying to get you to leave. We had just finished a hot spring bath and had to pee really bad. I almost wet myself talking to you."

"Oh I see. Sorry about that. Can't tell you how many times I was caught by a demon wanting to fight me right in the middle of that. I killed one bastard and decided to desecrate his corpse. Well in the future, I'll wait until you're…uh done."

Rai stands up and offers Shippo a hand up. Rai bows graciously to Koga. "Thank you for letting us into your home." Shippo feels compelled by her manners and bows to Koga as well.

"I like you, Rai. I might even consider you as an ally. You too, Shippo. Thank you for saving my wolves from Nakuhebi and his minions. Wish you were around when Naraku was alive."

Rai exchanges sayonaras with Koga and walks with Shippo towards the cave exit. Shippo immediately transforms into a fox and Rai mounts him. Swiftly, Shippo takes flight from the Demon Wolves' Den.


	10. Chapter 10

Out of sight of the wolves, Rai sighs and opens the front of her armor, letting her breasts relax. She closes her eyes and exposes her breasts to the wind and the sun's warmth. "What are you doing up there?"

"Thought we'd never get out of there. Can't I just have a moment?" She rolls her neck, as she becomes soothed.

"You know we don't have to go back just yet. I know a place we can swim. It's nearly summer now. It's in a lake close to the sacred tree. What do you say?"

"Take me there." Shippo nods and swerves in mid-flight, heading towards the direction of the lake. She searches the shoreline for a perfect spot.

"There's a place. It's sandy there, too. Well incase you're interested in sunbathing."

"But we have nothing to wear unless…ooh I get it. You just want to be naked."

"Yeah, but no sex this time. We do that too often, we might get bored. I'm also a day away from my fertile stage. What if we do it today and I get knocked up tomorrow? Not to say it's ever happened. You're my first."

"I get it. I'm not interested in fathering a child, especially this soon. I want to get to know you first."

Shippo swoops down and lands on the sandy shoreline. Rai leaps off and dashes towards a rocky out crop on the beach. She stabs the ground with her Naosusaiga then cites a spell in her mind. "There, now my things won't be carried off or blown away. If you put your clothes next to this sword, they will be guarded as well."

"My clothes? I don't have anything else to wear," Shippo replies right after transforming back. Rai smiles at him and starts undressing. Shippo blushes bright red.

"I don't have anything either. That's the point. Besides we're all alone."

"That's easy for you to say. You're a girl. Girls look good naked."

"So do you, hot guy. Like I keep telling you, yours looks pretty. You should be proud of what you've got. Too often guys look like they're trying too hard. Some guys look like they stole it off an elephant or some old fart. One of my classmate looked like he stole a pig snout and stuck it on his crotch." Shippo laughs at her. "When I see you naked, it's like you copied it from this Roman statue I used to look at back in Kyoto. Some artist named Michelangelo made him. Someone was selling small replica sculptures made of him. I bought one and put in my room at the dojo. David's body looked hot. That's what you look like to me. It's like someone sculpted your body with perfection. Just like David, it looks like your penis goes with your body."

"Really?" Shippo blushes, "Wow. Nobody's ever complimented me about how great I look. I've grown up, but I feel like a kid still. I know they don't mean to, but Kagome and Sango, well even the guys, still see me as a kid. You however see me as a man. But not just a man, more like a god."

"Not quite. You're a wonderful man who knows how to keep his youthfulness without acting childish. You try to improve yourself to impress your friends. You have impressed me. You're a caring person, kind to anyone you meet. You're still a bit of a coward, but you hide it by acting mature and don't let anyone see your cowardliness. You face your fears, even to the point of killing whatever's causing your fear. And above all you protect the woman you love, even if it might cost your life. You're able to stand strong, yet you're not afraid to show your emotions. You even cry if things get too rough or you're afraid you've lost someone you love. These are the real qualities of a true man. You looking like a god or that David statue, is just added bonus. That and you're the sexiest guy that I've ever met. I don't care if you're a demon, human, or hanyou like me. You are a real lady killer."

Rai strolls out naked into the water. She wades until her body starts to submerge, then glides under, tucking her ears back. She dives deeper, swimming through the water like a fish. She cuts back up and breaks her head out of the water. She looks back at the shore and watches Shippo enter the water nude. He covers himself with his hands at first, searching the area for peeping toms. Finally he flies out and dives into the water beside her.

"Careful! The water's still shallow here. I'm standing on the rocks yet."

He reemerges, shaking water from his head. "I saw you standing like that, so I controlled my descent."

Rai places her hand on Shippo's head. "Sakana iki o suru." Soon tiny slits appear on both Shippo and Rai's necks.

"What are these? What did you do?" asks Shippo, touching both sides of his neck.

"I gave you temporary gills. They attach directly to your lungs. These will help us breathe under water. The instant you step out of the water, they will disappear. Now we can swim and play underwater as long as we want like fishes."

Rai dives back under the water, gliding her way through water. She touches her legs with her hands. They straighten instantly and turn to scales. Soon she creates a mermaid's tail out of her legs. Shippo looks at her with amazement. "Mermaid?"

Rai touches his legs, transforming them and his fox tail into a tail similar to hers. "More fun. Besides you're still shy about being completely nude. At least if Kagome or Sango were to see you, they'd be warm to seeing you as a merman."

"Why are they close by?"

"I've been smelling Kagome's scent ever since we entered the water. She's close by, and heading in our direction."

Shippo reemerges from the water and sniffs the air. Rai follows behind him to the surface. "Yeah, I smell Kagome and Sango. InuYasha was with them, but has taken off in the opposite direction, possibly heading back to the village."

"Don't get out to greet the two women, or both spells will wear off. I don't think you're ready to show your nudity to Kagome, nor are you interested."

Shippo shakes his head and flips back under the water. 'What else are you going to guess about me? Are you a mind reader, too?'

Rai catches sight of Kagome dressed in a bathing suit. Rai splashes the water, grabbing her attention. Kagome watches her, and then widened her eyes to see Rai's tail splash the water, as Rai dives back into the water. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" asks Sango.

"Mermaids!" chimes Kagome.

"Here? In this lake?"

Rai smirks and chases after Shippo through the water. He glances back and charges further under the water. Rai catches up to him and cuts him off. Shippo tries to flee, but is forced to surface. He breaks the surface, twenty feet from the shore. He tries to search for either Rai or Kagome, when he's yanked back under by Rai.

"What was that for?" Rai grins at him with an evil stare. She entices him to chase her, backing away from him. "You're going to get it," he pretends to threaten. She screams playfully, trying to flee from him. Rai swims as fast as she can, dodging and weaving through the water like a fish. She backs up, searching for Shippo, preparing for an ambush. Suddenly she feels hands behind her. "Ah, you sly fox! You thought you could…" Rai turns around and sees Kagome behind her. "Sorry…uh…Oba(san)."

"Please stop calling me that. That makes me sound old." Kagome stares at Rai, hesitating to touch the mermaid tail. "Is this real? When did you become…? I saw two mermaids in the water."

"It's one of my spells. I gave Shippo a mermaid tail as well."

"What's wrong with your neck? Did you get injured?"

"That's another spell. It allows for underwater breathing. If I give them to you, you can stay under like a fish." Rai touches Kagome's legs, turning them into a fish tail, too. Rai touches her head and produces gills for her.

Kagome giggles, dancing through the water, splashing playfully with her new tail. "I wish InuYasha could see me now."

"Yeah but if you leave the water, both spells will wear off." Suddenly, Rai is grabbed and pulled under the water. Rai screams with laughter. "I'll make you pay for that." She sees Shippo trying to swim away, but catches up to him.

He tries to break away from her grasp. But she holds him by his arm, tickling his stomach with her other hand. He backs off, freeing himself from her grasp. He splashes away, bolstering his way through the water. He spots Kagome playing just under the surface. He swims to the bottom of the lake, just underneath her, preparing to strike her. Rai swims up beside her. She watches Shippo crawling around the rocks and water grasses.

"So where did InuYasha take off to? I lost his scent after awhile."

"When it comes to finding a place to relieve himself, he's as nitpicky as Inazuma. He's probably hosing down a tree now. He'll come ba…EEK!" Kagome gets pulled down. "Shippo! Why you!" Rai chuckles at Kagome's protest.

"Got you! Good work, babe," Rai winks at him.

"Well, you were both on this prank. Just you wait until he comes back."

"Who comes back?" taunts Shippo, "Can't rely on him for everything."

"Where's Sango?" asks Rai.

"Sunbathing on the shore."

"Well I might do that too. Swimming like a fish is enough of a workout."

"You were in the water first."

"Shippo, are staying in or coming out?" asks Rai.

"I'd better stay, especially with these two here." Rai nods then swims back to shore.

"Why is he staying in?" asks Kagome. Rai crawls back onto the sandy shore. Instantly her tail transforms back into legs and her gills disappear. Kagome crawls back out too and reverts back to normal. She looks at Rai's naked body.

"Because we were both naked when we entered the water. Are you that interested in seeing Shippo's penis?"

"Oh. Not really. That's for your eyes only," laughs Kagome.

"Well I think it's the prettiest one I've ever seen on a man."

"Of course you do. You're his girlfriend. When I started getting serious with InuYasha, his was beautiful. Still is too."

Rai and Kagome walk over to where Sango is sunbathing. Rai looks at two extra beach towels next to her. "What are these weird things?" Rai asks, kneeling beside the first towel she comes to. She picks up the top end of the carpeted cloth, feeling it with her fingers. "It's got some sort of green silhouette of a palm tree and it smells salty, like sea water."

"They're called beach towels," informs Kagome. "They're from my era."

"From this Tokyo place, I guess."

"Something like that. You want to know how to use it?"

"From what Sango's doing with it. I guess you lay on it. It's like a bed." Rai lies down on the towel on her back.

"Are you planning to sunbath nude?" asks Kagome.

"That's what I really came here for. As soon as I left Koga's place, I couldn't take being clothed. That armor is great protection and comfortable, but I don't like to wear it all the time, especially in this heat." "Besides that, I feel the most relaxed when I'm not wearing anything."

"I'm surprised to hear that from a woman, especially in this lawless era of Japan. There are so many guys itching to snatch a sexy woman, especially girls your age."

Kagome lies on the towel between Rai and Sango. "I just don't make myself approachable. If any stranger pervert sees me naked, I can just cast one of the nightmares into his mind. Even wide awake, he's made to think something awful is happening to his body."

"What if it's someone you know, like Miroku?"

"If it's Miroku, he won't get far," sighs Sango, "I'll give him something he won't like."

"Normally though I sniff out familiar scents and know whose approaching. Like right now, I can smell InuYasha approaching this area. Now Miroku's in this area too. He must have known we were swimming out here." "Oh, since you're both here, I supposed you closed the shop for the day."

"We did have several customers stop by. Your strawberry rice balls were a hit. You sold that more than the other breakfast items. The tea was also good. Peppermint tea with that white berry stuff."

"Your fellow villagers were suffering terrible stomach illnesses, so I wanted to brew something to relieve the nausea. Haha-ue has the same type of flu, so I asked Chichi-ue to bring those white berries to her."

Rai closes her eyes and breathes in the sun's warmth. She sniffs more and smells something like ointment. "Kagome, what's that smell? It's like your wearing this stuff that smells like horseradish."

"It's sun block. When I'm in the sun like this, I burn. My skin gets red and painful. With this stuff, I only get a tan." "Do you want me to put some on you?"

"Thanks, but the heat from the dragon's energy and the sun's sort of cancel each other out. I only get a small portion of the sun's rays." "If I do burn, all I do is replenish the old burned skin with clean new."

"With your powers?"

"Don't think it's like I stole them from someone or learned them from Jii-chan or sensei. Sorcery is just something I must have been born with. Same with telepathy and clairvoyance. I think Jii-chan was a sorcerer in his life. The ability must have just skipped a generation, because Chichi-ue doesn't seem to have the ability. Or if he does have those abilities, he's hiding it well."

"So you're instinctively a sorceress, that's hanyou with a dragon's soul mixed with her own, who's a trained samurai, who ages like a human and is mature, and who's mastered that weird cave under Mount Hiei. Is there anything you can't do?"

"Flying long distance is one of my weaknesses. I can fly in battle, but if I have to be somewhere, I need someone who can take me where I have to be. Like just this morning, I had to visit Koga and tell him why going to that cave is something I doubt he could do. Shippo was nice enough to accompany me to his cave. Good thing too, because Nakuhebi sent a look-a-like henchman, along with his serpent brigade. And those snakes love to invite area demons to a fight."

"So you've met him. Is he anything like Naraku?"

"He's much more cunning than Naraku. Besides Nakuhebi is from the Jomon era, over 10,000 years ago."

"Oh my, so Naraku would have been a child by comparison. I wonder why we never crossed paths with this Nakuhebi."

"Because he was laying dormant while Naraku was ruling this land. He waited until Naraku was dead. However Chichi-ue kept the Crimson Jewel of Life from either demon's grasp. He shattered the jewel when Sesshaku was born, as well as a false jewel. He ordered the fake stone to be made by the son of Hosenki."

"Where were these jewels?"

"In a place nobody knew, except Jii-chan, who told it to me. The jewels were in his stomach. He coughed them up for Sesshaku to find, but then he found out Sesshaku was more human, like Haha-ue and can't tell what jewel is real. Then I was born two years later. Chichi-ue and Jii-chan both say I'm mostly demon with a few human traits."

Rai's nose twitches. "Something foul is headed this way."

"Demons?" asks Kagome.

"No, they're human, but they stink like thugs."

"Should we move? Why isn't InuYasha here already? Can't take that long for him to pee."

Rai closes her eyes, starting to doze off. "We won't have to move," she yawns, "They will leave us." Quickly, Rai falls asleep.

"Oh no, she's asleep! She smells trouble. Sango, what are we going to do?" Kagome starts freaking out.

"There's not much we can do," sighs Sango. "If it was just us two, I would be screaming for help too. I don't know, though. Rai doesn't even seem phased by this. Look at her, she's sleeping calmly with an evil smile on her face."

A gang of men on horseback surrounds the shore. All the men in the gang wear samurai uniforms, with baldheads, and wielding spiky clubs. "Would you look at that? Three lovely wenches just for us," taunts one of the men.

"Aw and look, one of them has undressed herself. She must have known I wanted to do her."

"You get out of here!" shrieks Kagome.

Shippo dashes out of the water and zips over to Rai. He transforms fur around his waist, and stands beside Rai.

"Wait, boss. There's someone down there with them."

A man with long black hair and a beard approaches Shippo. Shippo growls at him with an angry stare. "Out of my way, pal!"

"No you leave! You're not going to have your way. Rai is my woman, and you'll be damned if you lay one hand on her."

"Siro, take him down for me."

"No, ugly boss, you fight me!" sneers Shippo.

"It's okay, Shippo. I'm handling him," replies Rai, talking in her sleep. Suddenly a red aura cloud seeps out from Rai's body.

Suddenly, Rai's eyes spring open and glare bright red. Her claws lengthen and she flips onto her stomach. The boss watches her approach him, on all fours, with her fangs poised to kill. Suddenly she pounces on him and bites off his arm. Blood gushes out, and the man screams in fear and agony.

Rai remains seated on his horse, eating his arm like a chicken leg. She tears clumps of meat from his arm. "This is good, but there's not enough meat on this arm." She tosses the arm away and breaks off one of his ribs.

"You idiots! Get her off of me. Monster wench she is!"

Other gang members look at him with confused looks. "Boss, what are you talking about? What monster wench?"

"She's eating me alive!" he screams, wetting his pants. A blank stare sweeps across his face, almost into a catatonic state. The boss slumps over his horse, as he starts to pass out.

"Can't you idiots see your boss isn't feeling well?" steams Shippo. "You better get him out of here, incase you want him to suffer more."

"Shippo, you mean you can see what she's…" Kagome starts to ask.

"She's showing me this dream now. I'm glad you're not watching, because you already got done with tossing your cookies yesterday. This scene will make you do that again." Shippo shoots the vision over to a gang member. The man watches Rai eating his boss. He sees her tearing off his boss's second arm.

She looks up from her bloody feast and sees the gang member looking at the scene in horror. "Mm…I'm sorry I'm making such a pig out of myself. Here, you can have this arm." She tosses it to him, and then pulls out the boss's liver and starts devouring it. She looks up at the gang member again with the liver hanging from her mouth. He sees her face covered in his boss's blood. She claws through the body, disemboweling it.

The gang member clamps his hand over his mouth. "Take me somewhere, guys. I gotta hurl. Quickly!" Two of his buddies hustle him off his horse and run him to a tree in the forest.

"Let's get out of here!" shrieks another man, "I don't want to get sick."

"I'm going to die. Devoured alive by this monster. What a terrible way to go. That's okay. I don't need to live," the boss utters in delirium.

"You heard what that half-naked man just said. Let's leave here at once!"

The gang members flee with their horses. Two members drag their boss and his horse with them. All that remains is the one guy throwing up in the forest with his buddies guarding him.

The gang leaves just as InuYasha enters the area. "Yeah! You idiots better run!"

"Too late to do anything. We were almost kidnapped!" steams Kagome.

"Sorry. Took me forever to stop pissing. What did Rai put in that tea?"

"InuYasha, you went back for three helpings on your own," argues Sango, "Don't go blaming Rai for something you did."

"Will you all hush?" scolds Shippo, "Rai's still asleep."

"It's quite all right," Rai stretches herself.

"Would you put some clothes on?" demands InuYasha.

"Let me think here…I will after a while, but not now."

"No you'll do it now. If you don't, so help me…"

"InuYasha tameru!" Instantly his body freezes.

"I was about to say oswari," Kagome replies, making him collapse to the ground, "when you said that."

"I like both incantations," laughs Shippo. "I understand now that Rai can take care of herself. She doesn't need a man to protect her."

"Shippo, I need you because I love you. You're protecting what's most important. Our hearts are the most precious things."

"But you don't need me to guard you. I'm useless to you."

"Shippo, why do you think that? You protected me from being captured. I protected you from being killed by them." "Besides I almost lost you once today. I don't want to experience that again." Shippo kneels beside her and holds her. Rai holds onto him, weeping on his chest.

"Rai, I was more worried about you. I couldn't help but protect you from those evil men. You're my woman and I won't let anything happen to you or let any other guy have you."

"That's…thank you." Rai embraces him harder, pressing her breasts against his sturdy chest.

Kagome smiles blissfully at Shippo with Rai. 'This is how you were, InuYasha, when you fell in love with me.'

Rai stands up and hoists up Shippo. Suddenly she widens her eyes and rushes him into the water. "What are you doing?"

"You were coming apart," Rai whispers. He looks down and guards himself. Rai transforms his legs back to a fish's tail. She returns the gills to his neck.

He flips into the air and dives into the water. InuYasha stares out in curiosity at Shippo. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Can't you tell?" chimes Kagome, "Rai turned him into a mermaid."

"Mermaid? You mean one of those hanyous who's half human and half fish?"

"The mermaid look is neat. She even let me be one."

"I want to be one too," whines Sango. Rai leads Sango into the lake and touches her legs.

Miroku crosses into the clearing in time to see his wife's transformation. "What's this? Sango was an ordinary woman when I saw her this morning."

"It's a lot of fun. She can change you into a temporary mermaid," giggles Kagome. Sango splashes into the water, showing off her new tail.

"If only Chichi-ue could see me now. All those times of swimming like a human." Sango squeals in delight. She flips out of the water, and then dives back in.

"Give me a try," chimes Miroku. He undresses himself and hurries down to the shoreline.

Rai looks away at first, flinching. Sango sees her avoidance. "Sorry you had to see that, girlfriend."

"Shippo's is much prettier." Rai transforms Miroku's legs into a fish tail and gives him gills on his neck.

"What's the matter? You've seen naked men before. You like seeing Shippo naked."

"Because to her, Shippo looks like a god," informs Sango.

"So, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Miroku, you look like you're trying too hard," snuffs Rai, "Yours looks like an overstuffed egg roll."

"That's because it is an overstuffed egg role," laughs Sango.

"Why's that funny?" he whines, "Making fun of a man's pride." He splashes through the water, pouting and feeling shunned.

Shippo looks at him all silent. "What happened to you?"

"Our women got to me. How do you deal with it, man?"

"You've been with Sango longer than I've been with Rai, and you're asking me? Hell if I know, old man."

"I'm not old. I'm only in my 40's. Mushin was an old man. He died ten years ago at the age of 94."

"Oji(san), do you want to try?" asks Rai.

"I'll pass. I'm already a half-dog. I don't need to be turned into a damn fish."

"What's the big deal? All you get is a tail and gills. When you leave the water, both spells wear off and you turn back to normal."

"Rai, he's always been a stick-in-the-mud," sighs Kagome. "Besides he probably still mad you disobeyed him."

"I only obey when it's vital. Neither Chichi-ue or Sensei made me do things that felt unnatural."

"You're just as free-willed and independent as Sesshomaru. In this era, for a woman, that's not typical at all," replies Kagome. "You almost seem like a man."

"What do expect when you're whole martial arts class are all boys except for you? I tried as hard as I could to not stick out, and became like one of the guys. I even went so far as to fashion a fake penis and used it when we had to bathe in shifts or to pee out of. The sensei didn't force me to do this, either. I made myself do this. When I started developing into a woman, I would strap my boobs."

"They did have to know eventually, right?" asks Kagome.

"By the time I couldn't hide my true gender anymore, I was fourteen and by that time the guys already accepted me as one their own. Some even said I was a guy with a female body. Some guys even sat to pee so I wouldn't feel left out. They made fake breasts too, just so I wouldn't feel like I was the only girl."

"Did they even care you were hanyou?" asks InuYasha.

"That never was a problem. Besides there were a few hanyous in the group." Rai shakes her head. "Enough about me. I could go on forever. But I want to swim. Will you join us, Oji(san)?"

InuYasha shakes his head. He walks across the shore and starts staring at her sword. "Don't touch it!" Rai warns.

"You won't obey me, and you expect me to obey you?"

"Fine. Touch it and find out why."

InuYasha touches Naosusaiga's handle, only to receive a sharp kinetic shock in his hand. "What the hell?"

"I told you don't touch it."

InuYasha starts picking up her other sword, and gets his had burned. "What's the deal?"

"They aren't yours, InuYasha. Hands off," scolds Kagome.

"If you try to lift up my armor, or even Shippo's things, they'll weigh as much a two-ton boulder. Only the owners find them weightless."

"What for? Not like I care," pouts InuYasha.

"So it won't be blown away, or carried off by monkeys. I smell them in the area."

"You smell monkeys?" asks Kagome.

"Don't worry. I put a spell on your stuff. That way they can't steal it."

Rai touches her own legs and neck and dives into the water. "Kagome, what's the real reason InuYasha doesn't want to be transformed into a merman?"

"No real reason except…" Kagome smirks.

"Don't start with me!" warns InuYasha.

"Oh I get it. He's got a 'personal' reason. Is it big, small or weird looking?"

"Why do you think Tetsusaiga is so big?" Sango smirks to Rai.

"A man is only as big as the sword he carries," chuckles Rai. "How big is it, Kagome? Three inches or four."

"Three and a half. I've measured it."

"Shippo's got five at least."

"That's a nice size."

"It also looks like this David statue replica I've got."

"Really? Statue of David's piece is nearly perfect," ponders Kagome.

"What are you girls talking about?" asks InuYasha. Rai giggles and swims towards Shippo. She whispers in his ears.

"Yeah InuYasha's is that tiny. No wonder he refused to have you change his legs into a fish tail. What about mine?"

"Perfect size. Not too big, not small at all, fully developed. It's like you were sculpted."

"Of course it is."

"It also feels great going in," Rai whispers. "Just not tonight, because nine months later…"

"Yeah I know. Not interested in that now." Shippo swims off with her to the bottom of the lake. He leads her into a cove, away from the others. They watch Miroku swim by, racing a pair of Koi fish. Another school of fish zips out from a hollow cave, being chased by a Japanese bass.

"Did you see that huge guy?" asks Rai.

"Yeah. How is it we're not drowning?"

"Those gills filter the oxygen from the water. All your lungs are getting is the oxygen, rather than oxygen and water. It's just like how a fish breathes. If only InuYasha would let me transform his legs and give him gills. It doesn't even hurt."

"Yeah but you must understand, he's so stubborn, he won't let you do anything to him. Kagome has to entice him for sex or force it on him. They'll have sex whether he wants it or not."

"That's not very romantic. Is that really the only way?"

"With Sango and Miroku, he's the one seducing her. He just tries every trick until she gives in."

"Your friends aren't naturals. That's strange. Both couples have been together for thirty years and treat sex like a chore. We've only been together for two days, not counting that first day in Nagasaki, and we have sex because it's fun, natural, and feels good."

"And you let me play with you," reminds Shippo.

"You let me play too, and we both enjoy it. By the way, I need your hands, now." Shippo swims up to her and squeezes her breasts. She rolls her head, becoming soothed by his gentle touch.

"Even underwater, this feels good."

"Where can I feel good?" asks Shippo. Rai guides his hand down the front of his tail.

"It's where you normally have it."

"Good because I'll need to know after a while."

"I see. You can use that cave or go behind that wall of water grass."

"Well not now. I'm fine now."

"Then hold me next to you." Shippo sits above the mouth of the cave with Rai. "Second thought, go now. I want to make out without you stopping halfway. Besides you're in water. The pressures here are different than on land."

"You sure?" Rai nods and Shippo swims into the mouth of the cave. Rai lies on her stomach, pressing her breasts against the roof. She stretches out, letting three yellow fish nibble at her.

"Could one of you chew on my back? I need your teeth." One of the fish complies and nibbles down her back, until she asks it to stop on the end of her shoulder blade. "That's it, buddy. Just keep it there." The fish chews on her back with its teeth, relieving her of the itch. "No I'm not by myself. My boyfriend is down in the cave. There's a monster fish living there? Shippo's a big boy; he can handle it." "How's it going down there?"

"I'm in position, but just not feeling it. Maybe I don't have to." Rai hears him sighing. "If nothing happens then I'll just…oh wait I've got it. Now it's coming. It maybe I'm just not used to having my lower half as a fish."

"We aren't really mermaids, guys," Rai explains to the fish. One of the fish swims in front of her and she gently rubs her hand over its scales. The fish blows bubbles at her, soothing her face.

As she pets the fish, Miroku swims by. "That's amazing. These little guys are just letting you touch them. It's like you're a natural with animals." Three more yellow fish swim up to inspect him. "Curious little guys."

"Shippo's down there in this cave and these guys were telling me a scary monster fish lives there."

"A demon? I didn't sense one."

"To them he'd be a demon. Japanese bass live in this lake. There's one inside this cave yet. Think it's the mate of the one that passed you earlier."

Shippo swims back up to Rai. "Well that was quick," comments Rai.

"I had to force it. There really wasn't much."

"Well despite being surrounded by water, did you have any to drink?"

"Not much. I'm not parched though. I'm getting a little hungry."

"Can you hold out? There's not much around here, just fish. After swimming with them, eating them feels so wrong."

"Suppose it would. It's not like I'm starving."

"I'll head back to Sango," informs Miroku.

"We'll be the last to get out," replies Rai.

"Kagome asked me to tell you if you can pass through the well, for you to have lunch with her. You've got an hour."

"Tell her I'll take her up on that." Miroku nods and swims off.

"We've got an hour," shrugs Shippo, "What takes an hour?"

Rai grabs Shippo's arm and thrusts him on top of her. "You want to find out?" She wraps her tail around his and rolls him to the edge of the cave roof. She kisses him, roughly.

"Rai," Shippo says between heavy kissing, "I want to try something. Can I suckle?"

"My breasts? They're dry."

"Doesn't matter. Since we swore off sex for now, I want to do something else intimate."

"I guess. Be gentle and don't bite hard. I don't want to explain bloody nipples to Kagome."

Shippo lifts her left breast with his hand close to his mouth. He closes his mouth around the nipple and rolls it around with his tongue. Rai giggles. "That tickles." Shippo holds it gently with his teeth and licks his tongue across the nipple. Rai's eyes close and she holds his head close to her chest. "Mmph, that's feeling so good. You teeth are like a massage." "Do the other one, please? That one needs attention, too." Shippo complies and starts suckling the other.

Rai returns the intimate gesture by nibbling on his ears. He returns from her breasts and nibbles her neck, close to her gills. She returns the favor and bites him.

In the commotion of their intimacy, Rai rolls Shippo off the roof of the cave, sinking them towards the bottom of the lake. "Wait. We can't go into the cave. That's where…"

"Shippo, you're underwater. Your pee dilutes the second it comes out."

"So, that's still nasty."

"What's the big deal? I was going while you were sucking my tits. Did you feel anything then?"

"Not really. Why didn't you say anything? Or why did you make me go in the cave?"

"Because you men have to be so secretive. Besides I'm not interested in watching."

"You think we should head back?"

"By the time we go back to the shore and get dried off and redressed, it'll be forty-five minutes to an hour. Are you coming with me through this well?"

"Can't. I don't have the power to pass through it. I'll wait until you return. I might even ask Inazuma if I could help him incase those serpents pass through the village."

Rai nods then swims boldly the water, followed close behind by Shippo. She glides through the water, until she reaches just below the shoreline. She pokes her head out of the water. "Coast's clear. It's just Kagome."

"That wasn't nice," laughs Kagome, while sitting on the beach, fully clothed. Rai hauls herself out of the water, reverting back to her normal two-legged, gill-less body.

Rai walks over to her sword and starts dressing. "Kagome, you might want to cover your eyes. Shippo's approaching the shore and he was nude from the start."

"Rai, I'm really not put off. I've seen Shippo naked before. However…"

"Last time was when he was a child. I know."

"I won't look, if it bothers you that much."

"You kidding? Hell I'm going to look." Rai sits beside her sword and gazes out at the lake, watching Shippo crawl out.

He stands up slowly, trying to regain his footing. Rai rocks back and forth with excitement. Shippo blushes at seeing Kagome sitting on the shore. Rai quickly rocks back up to her feet and walks boldly over to Shippo. "Shippo, don't be so shy. It's just the three of us." Rai looks directly at Kagome, while draping her arms around Shippo's shoulders.

"Oh my. He looks good. Very attractive," compliments Kagome.

"See. Broad shoulders, strong barrel chest." Rai bends his elbow. "Nice thick muscles, strong muscular legs, and there's that sturdy five-inch trunk I told about. That slides inside perfectly for me. The tail's sturdy in the back and those paws on his feet are so strong, and yet flexible." Rai rubs her hand around on his chest.

"What about my ass?" asks Shippo.

"That's the only thing you're lacking, dear. You don't have an ass. What's there is behind your tail." "Just be proud of what you do have, because it's gorgeous."

"Certainly is," comments Kagome, "Wow, Shippo, no wonder Rai fell in love with you. Very hot. If I met you at this time of your life, or if I was Rai's age now, we might be rivals for you."

The pair walks back and Rai finishes dressing first. She pulls her Naosusaiga out of the ground, disabling the spell she placed on it. She immediately resheathes it and helps Shippo finish dressing.

"Wow, you don't have much to put on. You're almost ready now. I'll comb your hair for you." She extends her claws and applies heat from her hands to comb through his long red hair.

"You ready?" asks Kagome.

"Where is this well of yours? Not far, I take it."

"It's only half a mile up this hill. There's a huge tree not too far from the place."

"I can walk you up there," offers Shippo. "I've been to the Bone-eater's well hundreds of time."

"Just never inside, strange," comments Rai.

"It's true. He can't pass through."

"Can't or you don't want him to?" asks Rai.

"No, I've tried to get into Kagome's world before, but never succeeded."

"Well time apart couldn't hurt," suggests Kagome, "Since you've been dating, you haven't been separated at all. Love builds stronger when you're not seeing each other every single moment."

"I suppose, besides when I get back, we'll be able to make love again if you want. My three days of being human will be over by then."

"What happens when you're human?" asks Kagome.

"That's when I'm fertile. If Shippo had sex with me while I was human, the chance of getting pregnant increases. I've never had it happen before. If it did happen, Shippo would the first man that made it happen."

"So Shippo's your first and only man."

"Chichi-ue's already thinking of half-dog/ half-fox grandchildren."

"That's an interesting concept, Sesshomaru as a grandpa that is," sighs Kagome, faking a laugh.

"I didn't think I'd be in love like this with his hanyou daughter, so why's is giving him a grandkid any weirder?" asks Shippo.

"We all have our own disbeliefs in what fate brings us. However I don't believe things just happen. We mortals may not fully understand what will happen. Kagome, you probably couldn't foresee yourself falling for my uncle, InuYasha. Nor could Sango see herself in love with the monk. But someone much higher than us, call it Buddha or our elders looking out for their own, directs us in the path we take in life. Whether we follow his advice is of our own accord." "Perhaps Buddha is pointing us in the direction we were supposed to take. He saw you, Kagome, and knew to bring you to this era to meet InuYasha. Both of you arrived at the right time of your lives for something to develop."

"It took awhile for us to fall in love. We hated each other at first."

"But would it have been better if you never met? You might have been happy, but then you'd miss out what fate had in store for you. The riches of a man's heart, willing to risk it all for your sake. The ability to marry him and bear his children is added bonus to what Buddha probably had in mind."

"Wow, saying it like that…I don't know. Is that how you feel about Shippo?"

"Yes. I've got the feeling when we met back in Nagasaki, then here two months later, that someone had his hand in our meeting. It might have been Buddha, or most likely Jii-chan, since he knew my wishes long before I did. He's probably not the only one. I've got no doubt your father is responsible."

"Chichi-ue is responsible. Both are dead. How would they…?" asks Shippo.

"The dead are more in tune to our hearts than sometimes we are to each other. Perhaps your father's trying to make sure you have a wonderful life. Maybe we were betrothed, but by ghostly hands alone. Your father wants you to be happy, and he's not letting being dead interfere with his son's happiness."

"Did your grandpa tell you that or did my father tell you?"

"Nobody told me, at least not directly. However sometimes I don't need words to get someone's meaning. That's true of both the living and the dead."

Shippo, Rai, and Kagome arrive at the top of the hill and approach the well. Rai gazes at the well and closes her eyes. "I sense the powers pouring out of this well. They don't seem that difficult to cross over."

"Really?" asks Kagome. Rai holds her hands over the basin.

"There is a spirit here. I think it knows I mean no harm to travel through it."

"So this is the place we part," sighs Shippo.

Rai rubs his face. "Please don't say it like that. I'll come back. I can't be parted from you forever. Please give me three days." Rai embraces him as hard as she can. "I love you, Shippo. You've got my heart, that should be enough of a keepsake." Rai removes the furry stole from her shoulder and places it around his shoulders. "That should keep you warm. I want this returned."

Shippo reaches into his pocket and pulls out a spinning top. "When I was a child, this toy was my weapon. Now I hang onto it for nostalgic reasons. My father gave me the toy shortly before he died. I want you to keep it while on her side. Would you bring it back to me, when you return?" Rai nods and sees tears dripping down Shippo's face. Rai cries too and embraces him with the toy in her hand. Rai kisses him deeply, reluctant to part from him.

They hold a kiss together for what seems forever. Slowly they part and watch each other, as Kagome and Rai sit over the edge of the well. "I love you! Come back to me when you return, Rai!" shouts Shippo, letting the entire forest know his feelings.

"I love you too, Shippo!" Rai shouts, "I'll keep my promise and return!" Rai shows off the toy and both she and Kagome leap into the well. Rai stares back, looking at Shippo, looking in the well.


	11. Chapter 11

Rai and Kagome land in the well. Rai looks back, only to see a wooden ladder and a darken top of the ceiling. "Shippo? Where is he?"

"Rai, he's not there. We're in my time." Rai sees the toy still clasped in her hands. She holds it close to her, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Kagome, will I see him again?" Kagome nods and embraces her. Rai sobs in her arms.

"You will because you love him so much. It's only for three days." 'Rai, I know this feeling. I've been there before with InuYasha.'

In the midst of their embrace, a bright light illuminates the walls of the well. A dark gray-haired woman glances down at the two in the well. She spots Rai's hair and doggy ears. "InuYasha? Is that you?"

"I'm not him. I'm not even a man," Rai struggles to her feet and stares back at the woman.

"Mom, this is the hanyou samurai girl I told you about," replies Kagome.

Rai climbs up the ladder first to greet the woman. Rai stands in front of her and bows to her. "Now I'm certain you're not InuYasha. You're much more polite."

"Sorry about your father passing like this," Rai embraces her.

"He wasn't my father," Kagome's mother corrects Rai, "He was my late husband's father." "So you're Rai. My name's Saya. Saya Higarashi."

Kagome climbs out of the well and hugs her mother. Rai sniffs the air. "Who else is here?"

"My brother, Sota, his wife Hitomi, and the kids are in for the funeral. They live where you used to, Rai."

"They drove up here yesterday," replies Saya.

"From Kyoto? Wow, talk about close." Rai follows Kagome and Saya out of the well shrine and stares out across the courtyard. "Oh my. This is impressive. Is all this yours?"

"The whole place belonged to Grandpa," explains Kagome, "This whole area from this well, to the sacred tree, and to the house. That's our home."

Rai pans the area, until she spots the figure of an old man wearing a lavender kimono and steel-gray hakama. "Is that he? That old man standing beside the sacred tree."

"What old man?" asks Saya. Rai points to the decorated tree where she sees the man. "I don't see anyone."

"Rai, nobody can. Mom, I forgot to tell you she can see ghosts. Rai's got clairvoyance and is able to talk to the dead. She's most likely seeing Grandpa over there."

"I can help you to see him, Saya. You can talk to him if you'd like."

"You can? You're that good of a psychic?"

"She helped InuYasha talk with his father, and he's been dead since InuYasha's birth."

"I also let Shippo see his father. Shippo hadn't seen him in thirty years. His father died when Shippo was only a boy." Rai clasps onto the spinning top.

"Who's Shippo?" asks Saya.

"He's that little fox kid I told you about years ago. Now he's grown into a man, and Rai's been seeing him. It was hard to get her to come here."

"I understand. She's in love, just like you were with InuYasha. She's lonely without him." Rai stands still holding the toy close to her chest. "What's that in your hand?"

Rai shows the top to Saya. "This belongs to him. His father gave him this top, just before he died. He gave it to me so it's like I have him with me in this world." Rai's tears trickle down her face.

"Do you think it was a good idea bringing her here, Kagome? It's only been thirty minutes and she's missing him already."

"No. I'll be okay. I'll just have to get past these three days and after that, I'll see him again. If I can go two months without him, then three days should be nothing. It'll be okay." Rai brushes her tears from her eyes.

The women walk toward the house and Rai sees a black-haired man, the same size as Shippo, appears in the doorway of the house. Stepping outside with him is a woman with black pigtails in her hair and a protruding round stomach. "Wow, Hitomi," chimes Kagome, "You've gotten big. Last time I saw you was four months ago."

"It happens, Kagome. The doctor said I'll be due any day now."

"I could tell," chimes Rai, "I felt your baby's spirit. This one is anxious. He says he wants to see what you're really like."

"He?" asks Hitomi, "But how do you know? I begged the ultrasound technician to tell me, but he refused, said to wait until the baby comes."

"We were assuming this child was another girl," Sota replies in excitement.

Rai shakes her head. "No, I can sense the child's spirit. I see him in my mind. I see the child in there and he's definitely a boy."

"Sota, Rai is psychic. She can see things not very many people can. When we emerged from the well, she saw Grandpa's ghost right away. When I looked where she was pointing, I could see him, faintly."

"Mom, what's going on?" asks a ten-year-old girl, emerging from the house, followed by a four-year-old girl. The four-year-old clings to Hitomi's mauve maternity dress.

"That lady looks like Uncle InuYasha," blurts out the four-year-old.

"Hanna, Yami, this is Rai," chimes Kagome, "She's my other niece from the Feudal Era." "Where's Kayla?"

"Your daughter has her. Well Kayla's two and is being potty trained. You know how that goes, sis."

Yami walks out cautiously to Rai, investigating her. "What's this metal stuff you're wearing? What are these things on your belt?"

"Samurai swords. I'm a trained samurai. All this metal is my armor. It's made so if I get into battle against someone, I'm less likely to get injured."

"What's that in your hand? Looks like a toy."

"A toy?" pipes Hanna, "Let me see the toy." Hanna races up to Rai. Rai shows the top to the kids. "Can I play with it?"

"Yeah, give it to her!" demands Yami.

"Yami and Hanna!" Hitomi scolds them, "That's Rai's. Perhaps she doesn't want to hand it over."

"It's my boyfriend's spinning top. It was his when he was a kid. He said his father gave it to him. He gave it to me to keep until I return."

"See, what did I tell you girls? That toy has sentimental value," explains Hitomi.

"Mommy, can baby see toy?" asks Hanna.

"She isn't born yet. Not now. Wait until our sister is born."

"Uh…girls," smiles Sota, "There's something about the baby. Rai says the baby is a he. You're getting a little brother."

"A brother?" replies Yami in surprise, "But I was so sure this was a girl. How can it be a boy?"

"Have you prepared a name for a boy yet?" asks Saya.

"We've thought of a few, but we don't know."

"What was your grandfather's name?" asks Rai. "Perhaps giving him that name will be sentimental to you."

"Ichiro. Ichiro Higarashi," Saya sighs deeply, "Sota, I think it would honor his memory if you named your son Ichiro."

Sota extends his hand to Rai. "If you'd like to join us, ma'am, we've got lunch being served."

"I smelled it. My nose's been twitching from inside the well. It smells like beefsteak with white rice in sweet n' sour sauce, sea bass sushi, salad with carrots, yellow cheese, and tomato dressing, cherry tomatoes, and strawberry short cake for dessert."

"That was very accurate. Not even InuYasha is that good," Sota responds with a surprised look on his face.

"Rai's a cook," explains Kagome, "Preparing food is her favorite hobby."

Rai bows before Sota, and steps inside. She quickly steps out of her sandals and sets her swords by the door. She touches the swords and closes her eyes. "I've made Hiun aware you folks mean no harm. I still advice you not to touch the swords."

"Yami knows not to touch InuYasha's sword," informs Hitomi. "You girls, don't be touching anything that belongs to Rai-san. You must get her permission first. If she says no, don't bug her."

Rai walks past a decorated room with a golden casket at the base of a Buddha shrine. She glances through the glass and sees the body of the old man she saw in the courtyard. He's dressed in a white kimono and surrounded by red rose petals. Rai kneels on the floor beside him, praying and bowing to him. "Oh honorable Buddha. Bless your beloved son, Ichiro-dono. May his journey into Nirvana be a blessed one." "Ichiro Higarashi, if you'll let me stay in this house with you, I will offer you countless blessings and thank-yous." Rai leans over and kisses the portion of the glass covering his head.

"What did he say?" asks Kagome. Sota stares at Kagome with a strange expression.

"Really? Thank you sir. As long as I stay here to watch your body return to the ashes from which it came. I'll honor your request," replies Rai. "Your grandfather says I'm welcomed here and says I can stay as long as I like."

"You're talking to him now?" asks Sota. Rai nods her head.

"He saw us and followed us into the house. I watched him heading our way, but I didn't say anything because I know you most likely can't see him."

"Like Kagome said, Rai's a psychic," sighs Hitomi, "She's able to see and talk to the dead."

"Aren't you scared?" asks Yami. "Ghosts are so scary."

"I'm not afraid of ghosts. Back in my time, I train in a cave under Mount Hiei. There are ghosts all over that place. I'm sort of glad too, because it can get lonely in there."

"I know that place," replies Sota, "The government has made it off limits. It's illegal to enter. Anyone caught goes to jail."

"Jail? That's most likely the safest place. Going even inside the mouth is enough to screw up a person's stomach. Then the deity who owns the mountain sends you a horrible nightmare. The best you can hope for is wetting the bed. You need years of training to endure the hardships of the cave."

"I've had dreams where I wet the bed," recalls Sota, "It usually wasn't because I was scared. One time I thought I was walking through wooded area and I drank a bunch of tea along the way."

"You mean that dream where the water was tea," recalls Hitomi, "I remember waking up to soaked sheets. I thought I was the one who did it."

"That was a long time ago, dear."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was last month. Speaking of which, I'm going upstairs. Our son is sitting on my bladder, I think."

Sota escorts her up the steps. Suddenly a small naked child races out of the bathroom and down the steps. A black-haired young woman with doggy ears chases after the little girl. The child runs across the house and races towards the door, squealing. Rai dashes to the door and swoops down quickly, snagging the child.

"Where do you think you're going, little miss?" smiles Rai. The girl giggles and tries to flee her hold. "Who said you could go outside looking like that?"

"Can I have her?" asks Saya. She kneels beside Rai. "Come to Grandma." Saya picks Kayla up and holds her on her hip.

"Gamma!" she squeals. Kayla looks up at Rai. "Unca Asha."

"No Kayla," corrects Hanna, "She a girl."

"Goil?" asks Kayla, "See a goil ike ee?"

"Right," smiles Saya, "Rai's a girl, like you, like aunt Kagome, and like me."

"Da…ee and Asha?"

"They're boys," corrects Saya. "Guess what, Kayla. Your mommy's baby is a boy."

"Oy? Ba…ee a oy?"

"That's right, Kayla," confirms Rai, "I've got a very strong feeling you girls will be getting a little brother."

Hitomi descends the steps carefully. She pants after the last step. Kagome and Rai walk over to Hitomi. "Are you feeling all right?" asks Kagome.

"Yeah, just let me rest. I had a contraction while sitting on the toilet. But I'm fine now."

"No wonder. He's eager to come out already. He's had enough of these dark quarters."

"Well, are we going to eat?" asks Sota. Rai nods at him and he leads the group through the main entryway to the dining room.

Rai quickly discovers the table hoisted on all the four corners by legs. She examines the first chair she comes to. She rubs her hand around the sturdy oak back and kneels to feel the smoothness of the seat.

"What are you doing?" asks InuYuzu.

"What is this thing? I've seen paintings of it, but what's it's for?"

"Duh, what are you, stupid?" sneers InuYuzu. "You've got to be…"

"InuYuzu!" shouts Kagome angrily, "You've got to remember Rai isn't from this era. She's from the sixteenth century and never seen this world before." Kagome looks at Rai calmly, "It's called a chair. You sit on it. In this era, you sit in a chair at the dinner table, instead of on the floor."

"It's very interesting. To see something like this…I wonder what else this future world has."

"Go ahead and sit there," suggests Sota.

Rai pulls it out and cautiously sits on the seat. In front of her, she sees the table with a platter of beefsteak with sweet n' sour sauce, a large bowl of salad and a tray of sushi in the center. Aligning the table are prepared place settings, complete with a small bowl of rice, a hot cup of green tea, and an empty plate with a pair of chopsticks in the center. "It's just like at home."

To Rai's left, Kagome sits close to her, and then Hanna sits in her booster chair between Kagome and InuYuzu. Directly in front of Rai, sits Saya. To Saya's right, sits Hitomi and Kayla in her highchair. Next to Kayla, sits Yami. Finally Sota sits between Yami and Rai.

"Since we're all gathered here, we should hold hands," suggests Sota.

Rai nods and holds hands with Kagome and Sota, with Shippo's top still in her hand with Sota's. Rai closes her eyes. "My thoughts today are with those who can't share in this wonderful meal this family is about to enjoy. Including Ichiro Higarashi, who no longer resides in this world and the man in my life, Shippo, who hasn't the ability to cross through the well."

"Well said, Rai," comments Sota.

"Can we just eat?" smirks Hitomi, "This boy is hungry!"

"So is this one," laughs Sota. Rai retreats her hands and slides the top into a pocket on her legging.

"Rai, do I have to show you how things work?"

Rai shakes her head. "Once I see how you use something, it's easy to figure out how. Like those solid things in the salad bowl. It looks like two ladles facing each other, with some pivot in the center controlling its actions."

"That's a pair of plastic tongs," Sota points out. "You use it to grab food out of bowls." Sota demonstrates, by grabbing a serving of salad with them and putting the food on his plate. Rai watches him intently, studying his actions.

Sota offers her the tongs. She attempts to grab salad. "This is…such a challenge." She finally grabs a serving of salad and places it on her plate.

"How do you not know how to use this stuff?" InuYuzu sighs, impatiently.

"Because we serve food differently. It's usually not set on a table with grabbing aids in the bowls. You have ladles for soup, but not much else other than chopsticks. When I set a place for someone, I have the food already on their plates and bowls."

"That's how things usually are," confirms Kagome. "You must understand the Warring States era is a far different place in time than here in the 21st century. In Rai's and your father's time, people are just learning how to use things. Silverware, chairs, guns…are all new concepts only a handful of people understand yet."

"I've been looking around this room and there are things here I don't know. Like what's that thing on the wall behind Saya's head? It looks like a white box with a solid flat handle."

Saya turns to look at what Rai's describing. "That's a telephone. You use that to talk to someone long distance from you. It beats not having to walk or send a messenger to them."

After the food is passed around, Rai attempts to eat her salad with her chopsticks. "What? Why isn't this working?"

Kagome picks up a tiny silver fork. Rai finds one beside her plate. She studies Kagome's actions and mimics them.

Rai glances around the room when she feels a strong presence behind her. She follows a dark silhouette hovering slowly around the table. "Sir, do you know how rude it is to watch people eat?"

She watches a piece of sushi float in midair. "Yes, she made that. No, you can't have it. You're dead, that's why."

"Who are you talking to?" asks InuYuzu.

"Sounds like Grandpa," sighs Saya, "Perhaps he feels left out and wants to join us."

"Sounds like something he'd want to do. He'd always sit down with us for a meal," recalls Sota.

"Well he needs to realize what he's doing is just weird," sighs Rai.

"Wish I was psychic like that," sighs InuYuzu, "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"It's not something that can be taught," replies Kagome, "Rai was born with the ability to do that. She's also a natural-born sorceress. Perhaps both abilities are one in the same."

"But how can she be like that? I'm a hanyou too, but I don't have abilities like that."

"I could help you see your grandfather," suggests Rai, "Maybe right after this meal you call lunch."

"You mean like forming a séance?" asks Hitomi.

"A séance is for calling forth a spirit. There's no need for one if the spirit is already present," explains Rai. "I will have to put you to sleep, though. Ghosts communicate the best when you're asleep."

"If you're going to do this…Mom can you excuse us?" asks Kagome.

"Sure dear."

Rai stands up from the table with Kagome.

"Where are you going?" asks InuYuzu.

"To the bathroom. When Rai puts you out, she extracts your ghost from your body. I don't want come back to my body with peed-on pants."

"Why is Rai going?"

"I don't even know what a bathroom is," shrugs Rai. "In my era when you have to go, you do it outside on the ground."

"Eww, gross. Like a dog," cringes InuYuzu.

Kagome leads Rai to the main room and up a flight of steps. They come to the first door on the center of a long wall. "First thing you do here is knock," explains Kagome. "That lets you know if someone's in here." Kagome slides the door open and flips on the light.

Rai walks in and sees the counter and sink on her left. She rubs her hand over the porcelain basin. She sees the faucet and grabs it. "This is new. What is it?"

"That's a sink. Twist that knob with the blue dot." Rai grabs the knob and loosens it, letting cool water pour out of the faucet. Rai draws her hand across the water. Rai sees a knob with a red dot on the opposite side of the faucet. She loosens it and feels much warmer water pouring out.

"This is so neat. You've got water whenever you want it."

"You don't even need to burn logs in a furnace to heat water anymore." Kagome moves past Rai and points to a white porcelain seat on the floor beside the counter.

"This thing is a modern toilet."

"I see. This is what you use in the future."

"This toilet comes with a lid and a seat. Since we're both girls, you'll only going to need to lift the lid. Lifting the seat is normally something Sota would do. Of course this morning after coming home from Kaede's temple, I had to lift the seat to throw up. I did that twice. Mom was wondering if we had to postpone the funeral. Strange thing was both times, barely anything came out."

"That's what Miroku said this morning." "I'll leave the room so you can…"

"Or just guard the door. I want to talk to you, still." Rai nods and turns towards the door. Kagome pulls her pants down and sits over the bowl. "So what'd you think about coming here?" Kagome asks, starting to pee.

"Interesting bunch. That girl that looks like me, I assume is my cousin."

"That's InuYuzu. Sorry about her attitude. She's usually a nice person, but she gets this snobbish attitude around people she doesn't know."

"Your brother's kids are cute."

"Yeah, you positive I'm getting a nephew?"

"When I looked into his spirit he talked to me in a tone similar to Sota's voice. I saw his body, poised and excited for entry into this world. He's eager."

"You saw the body?"

"His spirit showed it to me. I saw everything about it."

Kagome stands back up and flushes the toilet. "What did you do?" asks Rai

Rai walks over to the toilet, watching the water swirl and drain out the hole at the bottom.

"When you were at Kaede's, when you used her toilet, you had to dump it out and refill it again. Here, all you do is press down on this lever on the tank. It drains the soiled water for you and replenishes it with clean water."

"Can I try this? I want to experience this futuristic living." Rai waits for the water to settle. She slides her leggings down and holds the back flap of her skirt away from her body. She hears a tiny trickling sound clinking against the ceramic bowl. "This does beat sitting on the ground."

Rai looks across the counter and spots a couple of magazines. She picks up one and studies the picture of a woman showing off her breasts. "What is this?" She flips through it to find women showing off their nudity. "Do I turn you on? Whatever that means, no you don't, stupid wench."

Kagome gets a weird look on her face, while washing her hands in the sink. "What are you looking at?"

"Looks like a catalog of brothel paintings. These whores are posing for some sort of sexual arousal." Rai hands up the magazine.

"That's Sota's magazine. How many times does he have to be told to hide this thing? Especially with those little kids around. Hanna and Kayla are way too young to see this."

"I'm done here," Rai starts getting up.

"Before you get up, note the roll of white paper. Tear off about six inches. You clean off with that."

"That again beats rubbing myself on the ground. Okay, so now…" Rai stands up and refits her leggings. She presses her hand on the lever and activates the flush cycle.

"Now you wash your hands in the sink." Kagome grabs a bottle with a pump and squirts soap into Rai's palms. Rai rubs her palms together through the lukewarm water. Rai shakes her wet hands freely, trying to shake off the water.

"Twist the knobs first to shut off the water. It'll be reverse of how you turned them on." Rai nods and screws both knobs until they tighten and the water stops. Kagome hands her a towel.

Rai looks around the room and sees a large sliding along the wall opposite the sink. She slides it open and sees a bathtub. "What's this thing? Looks like one of those water tubs you and Miroku slept in."

"That's a bathtub. It's my comfort zone, like an indoor hot spring. Maybe later on tonight, you can bathe in it. It turns on just like the sink."

"We need to get out of here," Rai replies on alert, "It smells like your mother and Kayla are headed for this room."

Kagome nods and both women exit the bathroom promptly. They meet Saya and Kayla at the top of the stairs. Rai looks at Kayla and sees a tiny trail of white drool with food chunks leading from her chin to her chest. "What happened to you, Kayla?" chimes Kagome.

"She was eating and sneezed really big. Then it made her spit up."

"I git sic ike Aome," Kayla pipes, sticking her fingers in her mouth.

"Yes but she was sick yesterday," replies Rai, "She's all better now. Now she'll be fine for tonight."

"Tonight?" asks Saya.

"You know for the funeral."

"That's been pushed back for tomorrow night. I was concerned when Kagome came home sick. She wasn't the only one. When Sota came through, Yami had to make a mad dash to the bathroom to throw up."

"Why was she sick? She didn't look sick to me."

"Yami gets carsick every once in a while. Sota said he had to pull over three times for her."

"We've also got other family members flying in. My sister's plane had a flight delay. Cali and her husband Michael from America are flying in tonight."

"So are they coming here?" asks Rai.

"For the funeral, but Cali already knows my house is packed now. She and Michael are renting a hotel."

"It might be a blessing, Rai, for the funeral to be tomorrow night."

"I know. I don't like standing out at all."

"What's happening tomorrow?" asks Saya.

"I change into a human," sighs Rai, "More than half of my demonic powers will be drained."

"Only that much?" asks Kagome, "You are different than InuYasha. He loses it all and becomes weak and vulnerable."

"I don't become weak because I turn human. Just that the entire dragon power in my body takes a rest, which means the swords don't work."

"So you're a strong samurai, not just a random sword wielder."

"Sensei knew I was hanyou but didn't want me to rely solely on demon powers for fighting. I use powers to increase the success of a battle, but my true strength is in the martial art itself." Rai suddenly sniffs. "Saya, you'd better get Kayla into the bathroom. She's about to drop something foul."

"Yeah, I smell it too, Mom. She's passing gas," sneers Kagome, holding her nose. Saya nods and walks into the bathroom with the child.

Rai and Kagome walk back down the stairs and back to the dining room. Kagome walks over to Sota. "You left your girly magazine out again."

"I was going to tell him before that contraction threw me off," sighs Hitomi. "What if Hanna saw that? She's just beginning to read and I don't want her reading that disgusting thing."

"Sorry, I was in there earlier doing number two, and I needed something to look at."

"That's fine but then you need to put it in the cabinet afterwards," reminds Hitomi, sipping her tea.

"If I wanted to see something naked to turn me on, I'll go home and look at Shippo."

"I bet you would, Rai," smiles Hitomi.

"Rai's got a hot boyfriend? She's two years younger than me. Wish I had a hot boyfriend?" pouts InuYuzu.

"You keep chasing them off, dear," sighs Kagome, "You make it difficult for guys to hang out with you."

"All the guys I know are nerds or fatties."

"You need to make yourself available and see things from his perspective. It really doesn't matter what he looks like," explains Rai.

"So how far are you with this guy? Are you just dating?"

"You could say that. We've stayed together for two days but met two months ago. Today's the first day we've been separated since we officially became lovers."

"You should have seen it, Hitomi, that was the most tearful, romantic goodbye beside that well. The only other time was when I was fifteen when InuYasha and I first knew each other."

Rai pulls the spinning top out of her pocket. "He gave this to me so I could still feel he was with me in this world. I gave him my furry stole for the very same reason."

"That's love for you," smiles Hitomi.

"I was wondering why you had that toy with you," replies InuYuzu.

Sota sighs while looking at Hitomi. "So are we going to do this séance thing?"

"Why are you looking at me? Rai's the psychic."

"As soon as your mother gets downstairs with Kayla, we can begin this thing."

"Do you really extract our souls for this?" asks Sota.

"It's much easier to touch your grandfather if you're a ghost like he is. You won't die. A pseudo soul will be in place to keep your body alive. However they don't do much else. If you have to go, do it now." Sota stands up and walks out of the room.

"But Saya's still in the bathroom," reminds Rai.

"There's a small second one down here. It's just a toilet and a sink. It was built for Grandpa when he got sick," informs Kagome.

"I had a major pee before lunch, so I'm fine," replies Hitomi.

"You haven't finished your food," Rai points out.

"I'm not hungry. My appetite is decreasing as of late," informs Hitomi.

"That means the birth will be soon," smiles Kagome.

"So why are you doing this?" asks InuYuzu, "Letting us see Great grandpa. What's in it for you?"

"I'm a granddaughter too. I know what it's like to be loved by such a wonderful man. He's dead but because I can see him, Jii-chan has been in my life for as long as I know. I talk to him all the time. He's my best friend, my role model, and the first man I've ever loved."

"This man is your grandfather as well, InuYuzu. You ought to meet him sometime. Your father's father."

"My dad, InuYasha. Wait if Rai and I are cousins…my uncle is…"

"My father is Sesshomaru-sama. What about it?" asks Rai.

"Yeah. That guy is scary. He's a full demon has no problem killing people he hates. He attempts Dad's life numerous times. They're brothers."

"I've asked him to stop. Well actually, Jii-chan relayed the message to me to tell Chichi-ue. I told Chichi-ue it doesn't matter anymore. He loves both his sons and doesn't want them to fight. He wants them to stop."

"How did Sesshomaru react?" asks Kagome.

"He broke down. I had taken behind the ramen shop because he was going to cry. Then I held onto him and let him cry as much as he wanted."

"That's rare for Sesshomaru to do that. You must have really got to him, Rai."

"Why would you do that to him?" asks InuYuzu.

"When you're hurting or feeling lost, a good cry helps," explains Sota, returning from the bathroom. "When I heard Grandpa was dead, I felt I lost what mattered to me. I went into my bedroom and laid on the bed, crying as hard as I could. That's all I did, for three hours."

"I sat on the bed beside him and did the best I could to comfort him."

"It was as painful for me, to watch him die," sighs Kagome, "I wished he could stay a little longer. He tried, but it wasn't meant to be. So much I want to tell him." Rai touches Kagome's shoulder.

"That's why I'm doing this for you. So you cannot only see him, but you can talk to him again. This is my gift to you. I have no money for a gift. I forgot to bring it with me to this world."

"Your money is no good here," informs Kagome, "Many merchants here would think spending gold would be strange."

"You use gold?" asks Hitomi.

"That's how you buy things," explains Kagome, "It's considered currency in the Feudal Era, same way as we view yen in our era."

InuYuzu stands up and walks out of the room. "If you want to know where I am, I'm in the bathroom. I'm going upstairs to change."

"InuYuzu's starting her period today, that's another reason she's like this," Kagome whispers to Rai.

"I could tell. I smelled her essence mixed with her blood. Not that I'm going to criticize; I start mine this time next week. That's one of the reasons I opted for asking Shippo to walk through the cave with me. Carla doesn't mind the bleeding, in fact she sits me in a hot spring for the entire three days."

"I used to do that too," recalls Hitomi. "I'm even planning to give birth in the tub. The warm water relaxes your body, sometimes even better than drugs."

"I did the drugs thing," sighs Kagome, "With my two pregnancies. Did that kill my son?"

"No, he died of pneumonia," recalls Sota, "Nothing you could do for that."

Rai feels Saya enter the room by herself. "I've put Kayla down for her nap. I figured since we're all going to sleep through this, it'd be easy on her and you, Rai."

"Yeah, Hanna, you take a nap too," orders Sota.

"I don't wanna, Daddy," whines Hanna.

"Do as your dad asks," commands Hitomi.

"Why? I not sleepy. Why?" Hanna folds her arms in protest.

"Hanna, quit being difficult," scolds Yami, "Look, we're all going to sleep."

"Not me. I don't wanna. Meany!"

Sota gets out of his seat and walks over to Hanna. "If you behave, we'll go out for ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Yay! Ice Cream!" chimes Yami. Hanna turns away from Sota, pouting.

"No sleep! Meany. Wanna play dolly," grumbles Hanna.

"Sota, I can make things easy for her," sighs Rai, "I've got a spell to make her fall asleep."

"Really?" asks Sota, "You can do that?"

"Oh yeah," confirms Kagome, "If it's the spell I'm thinking of, she can put you out right away. That's the spell she and Miroku used to put us all to sleep before our ghosts entered that cave."

"Yeah, except this time, you can stay outside your body longer. You won't have to get sick again. That only happens when you visit Hell's Labyrinth."

"You've been inside that mountain? You too, sis?"

Kagome nods, "In Rai and InuYasha's time, there are no laws for entering the cave. However, even going there with just your ghost isn't easy. The trip murders your stomach. You throw up big time. Like if you had a massive stomach flu and couldn't hold anything down."

"That was after you first got back in your body. The best place for a vomit as big as that is over some huge gully. And it's best someone hold you down for it."

"I've had to do something like that," recalls Sota. "I was at this stag party with one of my buddies, who was getting married. That night I got totally wasted. I thought I was the ninja master of booze. Then I came up with the 'brilliant' idea of mixing beer with vodka, wine coolers, and scotch. Big mistake. I bolted outside to an open trashcan. Thank goodness it was lined. I totally filled up the bag. I thought all my guts were going to come out."

"I've done that," sighs Hitomi, "I love being pregnant, but the morning sickness is my least favorite part. The first few weeks, I was chained to the toilet. I couldn't move very far without throwing up."

Rai watches InuYuzu enter the room. "So are we ready to do this?" asks InuYuzu, "I've gotta meet my girlfriends at 4:00."

"I need to take Rai shopping this afternoon too," nods Kagome, "I doubt she's got a kimono for the funeral."

"If I'm reading that futuristic sundial on the wall behind Hitomi's head correctly, it's one hour past noon. I'll wake you guys up at three hours past noon."

"3:00 you mean," corrects InuYuzu, "That's all you have to say. In this world you say o'clock."

"Did you catch that, Higarashi-dono? Is two hours long enough for you?" Rai asks, as she watches his shadow float through the room. "Well you'd better pay attention. These people can't stay out of their bodies forever. We've got to prepare for your funeral tomorrow."

"Absent-minded as usual," smirks Kagome. "He was like that when he was alive."

"Are you going to sleep too?" asks Sota.

"At the cave I had to, but no. I don't need to, because I'll be able to see you all. Besides somebody has to pay attention to the time and wake you up." "If you want to materialize, it's really not hard. I'm going to ask him to do it."

"She's right about the materializing thing," confirms Kagome. "I did it in the cave."

"You really do that? I heard about something like that in the movies," recalls Hitomi. "Is it safe? What if my baby…"

"He'll be fine," reassures Rai.

"I still can't believe that's a boy in there," Sota laughs, shaking his head.

"Well, believe it. I can see him now. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and saw his body. He's got it all, including penis and scrotum. What else can that mean?"

"Okay, that's all I need to know," sighs Sota, sheepishly.

"You wanted to know, bro. She gambles too on what she knows. Just like when Rai said she would break up with Shippo and have Miroku's baby if neither one of us threw up yesterday."

"Instead both of you got sick and I spent the whole night with Shippo."

"I already know what you did with Shippo. But I can't say anything with Yami and Hanna within earshot."

"You two are at second base now?" asks InuYuzu. "Here I can't get a guy and you're already inside his pants. So unfair."

"How come you don't wait?" asks Hitomi.

"We're going to try. We're building the relationship. However every once in a while, the mood just hits. I say why fight the urge. That's how we met in the first place."

"Hitomi, this is the way her time period is. Japan is a lawless country. Civil war is all over the place. Sometimes you need to satisfy the urge and do something fun. Having sex is one way for people to relieve stress from the world around them. Sometimes it's the only time you feel alive."

"That's why brothels are so popular," sighs Rai, "The night I was in Nagasaki, the one I stayed in was packed and very busy. I went there to break my virginity, and Shippo was there for the same reason. That's where we met. He bought me and that night we spent it all together. We did everything. Then I gave his money to the manager the next morning and we said our goodbyes. That was two months ago. Then I suddenly had this incredible urge to find him. Jii-chan was encouraging me to look. I tracked his scent for the entire two months. Then when I came to InuYasha's village, I saw Shippo again. That was two days ago. Then yesterday morning, he came up to the temple to help me with preparing breakfast. We got to talking and he said he never stopped thinking about me. That's when we realized we were meant to be. Just before everyone sat down for breakfast, he called it. He declared me to be his woman."

"What a neat story," sighs Hitomi with a dreamy expression on her face. "The journey to find 'The One'. Physical, spiritual, and so heart-felt. That's why you cry for being over here and away from him. It's hard to be parted, even for three days."

"Rai, you don't have to stay here while you're human," smiles Kagome, "Perhaps only two days for you."

Rai starts to cry, but then shakes her head. "What did I come here for? I can cry after you're all ghosts. First thing, where is most comfortable place here?"

"There are sofas in the living room," Saya points out.

"To this living room place then."

"Why go in there?" asks Sota.

"Because two hours asleep on these hard chairs makes you stiff as a board," explains Kagome.

InuYuzu hands Sota a pair of overnight underwear. "Thanks but Hanna's got some on now."

"What's that?" asks Rai.

"It's special panties that prevents leakage," Sota explains, "When we put Hanna down for a nap, it never fails that she'll wet herself. So we make her wear them to keep her pants dry."

"What about Kayla?"

"She still wears a diaper for naptime."

The group sits in the living room on sofas and soft chairs. Rai stands in the middle of the group. "Old man, where are you? Get your butt in here. No you can't eat, you're dead. The dead don't need to eat. Get your ass in the living room."

"Grandpa!" shouts Kagome, "Come on. Rai's being nice enough to let us see you. The least you can do is not stand her up."

"Can you see or hear him, sis?"

"Not as well as Rai can. All I see is a shadow and hear whispers."

"If you want him to materialize and talk to you normally, just ask him. My grandfather does that all the time. I see him in both in my living and ghost forms. I'm not the only one who sees him either. Sensei does on a regular basis. He used to be scared by Jii-chan's presence, but now he's used to it. Sensei even has conversations with him."

"Your grandfather died with all his faculties together. He wasn't senile at all. He comes across as a strong individual," comments Kagome.

"Is that for real?" asks Sota. "Far different from how Grandpa lived. As long as I've known him, he's always been a senile old man. Like while Kagome was still in school, he'd come up with strange illnesses for her absence excuses. Some I never heard before. Most of them were arthritic conditions or elderly diseases."

"So what was he doing now?" asks Saya.

"Trying to eat. There's nothing he can do now. No earthly needs are necessary." "She wanted to know, old man, so quit asking."

Rai settles in the center. "First step is to put you to sleep." Rai closes her eyes and starts praying. "Nemuri." "Not you, Ichiro, you don't need this." Swiftly his family members close their eyes and fall asleep.

"Second step, drawing forth your ghosts. Ichiro, shut up." Kagome comes close to laughing in her sleep. "Rei-teki na Janpu!" Instantly each living soul leaves its body.

Saya starts to stir and opens her eyes. "What happened? Wasn't I asleep?"

"You still are," reassures Rai, "You're just out of your body." Saya glances back and sees her body on the sofa.

"Is this what it's like to be dead?"

"Yeah, but you aren't dead. See." Rai puts her hand over Saya's mouth. Saya mimics her. "Feel that? You're body's still breathing. If you listen to your chest, you can hear your own heart beating."

"Yeah I hear it. So I'm alive still."

"Just think of this as a really intense dream. This one you will remember."

Saya turns and sees Ichiro standing behind Rai. "I don't…Wha…" Rai gets out of her way and stands beside Sota, who's also stirring. Saya embraces Ichiro. "You're looking good. You feel fine, all things considering?"

"I've never felt better, Saya. It's like a great weight has been lifted off of me."

"Grandpa!" Sota shouts in delight, "It's great seeing you again." He hugs his grandfather again. "I almost asked how life's treating you, but…"

Kagome wakes up on her ghostly body. "Grandpa!" she squeals.

"You all died just for me?"

"They aren't dead," corrects Rai.

"What's this?" shrieks InuYuzu. "Rai, you bitch! You killed me."

"You aren't dead. Please refrain from swearing."

"So what's the big deal? Hanna and Yami are asleep."

"Only their bodies are asleep. Your souls are free to move about," explains Rai.

"It's like you're dreaming, except this is real," Kagome tells InuYuzu.

Hitomi stirs and looks at her spirit form. "I'm not…where is my baby?" She sees him in her arms. "He really is a boy." She looks at his naked ghostly body. He looks up at her.

"Rest assure neither of you are dead," smiles Rai. "Hi, cutie." The baby looks up at Rai, smiling at her. "I hear you'll be born soon. Are you excited?" The baby laughs and coos at her.

"You want to hold him?" asks Hitomi, "Can you even do that like this?"

Rai nods and Hitomi gives her the baby. Rai cradles him and shows him to Ichiro and Sota.

"Wow! Is that my great grandson?"

"He most certainly is, Ichiro," smiles Rai.

"Wow, this is so neat!" pipes Sota in excitement. "Can't wait until I tell the guys in the office back home.

"I wish I could touch him for real," whines Ichiro.

"If you get materializing down to a science, then you won't just touch him. You could hold him and let him see you."

"But Kyoto's so far away. I can't walk all that way."

"Walk? You don't walk. You're a ghost. You're not tied to mortal life. Takes less time to get some place. Took Kagome and I less than thirty minutes to fly from Musashi to Mount Hiei."

"You were dead in the Feudal era?"

"Not dead, Grandpa. We were alive yesterday. Now all of us are ghosts, but we're all alive."

"Except for me. Feel so left out."

"This was the only way they could see you. Kagome's the only other one able to see ghosts. Your daughter-in-law, grandson and his wife, and all your great grandchildren couldn't see you. They didn't even know who I was talking to."

"So what next?" asks Sota.

"Do what you like. Visit with him. By the way, you don't have to stay beside your bodies. You could go outside, or upstairs. I do recommend you stay close to the house. You've only got an hour and thirty minutes."

"Then what?" asks Ichiro.

"InuYuzu says she's got somewhere to be. Kagome and I are going shopping. I don't have a kimono. I need one for your funeral. I want to buy something for your shrine, too."

"So what are you going to do now?" asks Kagome, "You didn't leap."

"I don't require a spell to do that. Besides this is your family. I'll let you say what you want. I'm going to clean the dishes and watch the time for you."

"You don't have to bother with the dishes. I'll take care of that," replies Saya.

"Me too," sighs InuYuzu, "Well you did this for us."

"When we're done, how do we get back in?" asks Sota.

"You just float in," replies Kagome. "That's the easiest part."

"I might have to do that before 3:00," says Hitomi, "This body's at full term and it doesn't take long until it has to pee again."

"Your spirit will feel that. It'll feel this strong pulse, pulling it down. That's your signal to…"

"I get it."

"What about me? If getting back in your body is easy…"

"Old man, you can't. You're dead. Nothing works in your body."

"Grandpa, if you tried getting back in now, you'll just die again," sighs Kagome.

"But I want to live again."

"Then reincarnate," suggests Kagome, "At this point, it's your only other option."

"Or seek Enlightment, that way you can live forever," sighs Rai.

"She's right," confirms Saya, "Enlightment would be something you could do."

"Would you join me?" asks Ichiro.

"I can't. I'm not dead," replies Saya.

"Rai, can I have my baby back?" asks Hitomi. Rai give him to her. "I'm going get back in now."

"Sure. You can let go of him. Your baby will fly back in on his own."

"But won't he fall down."

"Not like this. Souls are weightless. Flying back to a body is easy to do. Reason why is you're alive. Your soul and body are still connected. The connection doesn't sever unless you die. Your grandfather's connection is severed; it happened the very moment he died."

"Well I've got to get back. I'm starting to feel that pull you mentioned."

Both souls enter their bodies and Hitomi quickly wakes up. "Rai, I can still see you."

"I didn't leap. You need help up?"

"Please? I have to pee again." Rai assists Hitomi to her feet. Hitomi stretches and looks around. "Where is everybody else? Everyone's still sleeping, but their ghosts? Grandpa?"

"They're still around. You just can't see them. I see your child found his way home. He's sound asleep too."

"Walk with me please," insists Hitomi. "I need you to help me up the steps."

"Why don't you just use the bathroom down here?"

"Because I want to check in on Kayla." Rai walks with Hitomi back towards the main entryway and follows her up the stairs. Hitomi pauses halfway up and winces.

"Are you okay?" asks Rai.

Hitomi starts blowing, letting her pain subside. "Okay. It's over. That was another contraction."

"Is it time yet?"

"No. There's a different pain for that."

Rai helps Hitomi the rest of the way and Hitomi staggers into the bathroom. "Could you wait outside for me? I know Kagome let you stay in with her, because you're new to all of this."

Hitomi closes the door and Rai leans on the wall. "You could check on Kayla for me."

Rai nods and walks to the room to the right of the bathroom. She sees Kayla asleep on the bed. Rai removes her armor and sits on the bed beside Kayla. "Mo-ee." Kayla starts to stir. She opens her eyes, slightly dazed.

"Mommy is going potty."

"Po-ee?" "Me go po-ee."

"You too? Hey, Hitomi. Kayla needs to go."

"There's a chair in the bedroom for her. It should be on the floor beside the bed."

"I see a tiny wooden chair on the right side of your bed. It appears to have some plastic bowl in the seat."

"That's it. Next thing you do is to remove her diaper. There are Velcro tabs on the top of the diapers." Rai unfastens her diaper and carries her to the chair on the floor. She sets Kayla down and Kayla sits upon the chair.

Rai sits back on the bed, keeping her eyes on the child. "What now?"

"You can flip the TV on, if you want. There's a remote on Sota's side."

"I see a black stick on this small table with these soft nubs on them."

"Those are buttons. Press the red one at the top left corner." Rai presses it and sees the dark screen on the TV in front of her blink on.

"Lucy! What do you have to say for yourself?" shouts an angry middle-aged man. Rai watches him storm through the room.

"What's this? Why's the picture all black like this?" Rai asks.

Hitomi flushes and walks around the corner to her room. "Oh the picture's like that because that show's from the 50's. In the 1950's, there was only black and white."

Rai watches the screen and sees a woman huddled on a couch. The man approaches her, with an angry stare on his face. "What's his problem? What has she done to make him act like this?"

"That's Ricky. He's always like that."

"Shippo sure as heck doesn't yell at me like that."

"Neither does Sota. These people here are actors."

"Like Kabuki?"

"Sort of like Kabuki. I guess you could call that 20th century American-styled Kabuki."

"But Ricky…I…" the woman shivers in fear, "You said you wanted me to clean your shirts and I did."

"You burned them!"

"Don't yell at her! She didn't do it on purpose," Rai yells back, "If you don't like it, do it yourself."

"He can't hear you. This is only a rerun. All the actors are dead now anyways."

"When did that happen? During the Kabuki show?"

"No, they all died thirty-years later." Hitomi takes the remote and presses the 1 and 7 buttons. The screen instantly changes to color and Rai sees a blonde-haired woman pacing the floor of a hospital.

"Is this more Kabuki?"

"This is what's called a soap opera. This is more modern than that other show. By the way, the one you were watching was 'I Love Lucy'. It was a comedy."

"A comedy? What's so funny about some hothead yelling at his woman for no good reason?"

"I don't know either. Somehow it was funny in America. If it was me, I'd kick Ricky's butt."

"Mo-ee, I done."

"Are you sure?" Hitomi walks over to Kayla. "Sometimes she gets up too early and pees on the floor." "But not this time. Good girl." Hitomi picks up Kayla. "Could you be a dear and remove the bowl?"

"It's full of pee."

"There's a lid on the floor beside the chair. Normally Sota does that for me, but he's still under that spell of yours."

"He won't stay like that. It wore off when you leaped out. Coming back is as simple as floating in and waking up." Rai secures the lid over the bowl. She detaches the bowl from the seat and carries it into the bathroom. "Where do you want this stuff?"

"Same place where you peed." Rai lifts the lid of the toilet, and then opens the lid on the bowl. She immediately pours the contents into the toilet and flushes it. Afterward she takes the bowl over to the sink and rinses it in the water. "This is certainly new."

"Potty training is new?" "What did you do?"

"When you had to go at the dojo, there were rooms with these wooden boxes. They were attached to the floor and had a hole that lead out to an opening in the canyon wall. You sit over the hole to do your thing, or stood if you were a boy."

"Was there any privacy?"

"When you're a child, you don't really care."

"When you were growing up…"

"By that time, I was outside or on missions. You either have to hold it or find some place to hide."

Rai walks back into Hitomi's room and sees Kayla back in her diaper. "How come you wear such skimpy clothes? Your boobs are almost coming out."

"This is really all I can have on. I've got dragon energy in my body, so it makes my skin warm, even in winter."

"You're the exact opposite of me. It can be 90-degrees outside and I get cold still." Rai touches her skin.

"You are cool to the touch."

Hitomi closes her eyes. "Could you keep it there?" Rai places her hands on her shoulders.

Suddenly Hitomi winces. "What's wrong? Another contraction?"

"No, my back's itchy. I can't…" Rai unzips the top of her dress, exposing her back. Rai rubs her claws across Hitomi's skin. "Thank you."

"So how did you feel about seeing Higarashi-dono?"

"I was a little freaked out. That was my first ghost. I'm not much into scary movies. And movies play up ghosts as evil specters wanting to cause harm. TV does the same thing."

"Most ghosts aren't scary. They're souls with great attachment to this world."

"Are ghosts always so confused-acting?"

"They can be. Ichiro has recently died, so he might have a hard time realizing he's not mortal. Sometimes you meet folks unwilling or unable to accept their own death."

"How long does it take?"

"Hard to say. No two people accept things at the same rate. Ichiro might accept it after watching his own body being burned, or it could take him years, centuries…some ghosts never accept their own death. They carry on as they did when they were alive."

"Rai, could you move over? I want to sleep." Rai nods and lets Hitomi scoot onto the bed, until her head rests on her pillows. "This boy isn't the only one who can't wait to be born. I can't wait until I'm done carrying him for nine months. I'll be able to regain my normal figure."

Rai sighs and glances at the TV. "What's going on here? This pair's making love."

"Change it. I don't want Kayla seeing that. You can go back to that previous station. Hit 6 and 4."

Rai presses the 6 and 4 buttons. Instantly the screen switches to black and white. Rai watches the woman she saw earlier standing behind a table with a bottle in her hand. Rai watches her present the bottle with the label held to the camera. "I'm your Vitameatavegimine girl. Are you tired, run down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? All your answers are in this little bottle."

"This stuff she's selling, you might need it."

"I'm not taking that crap. You couldn't pay me enough."

"You must take a tablespoon after every meal." The woman serves herself. "So tasty too, just like candy."

"I'll bet," laughs Hitomi. "See she hates it. That's the worst tasting candy ever. It's probably not even sweet."

"Think I've had that stuff. One time I was throwing up from the end of one of my training routines in the cave. Sensei fed me this bitter white stuff. It worked fine to make me feel better, but it was the worst stuff I've ever tasted. It looked like bird droppings and tasted like it. From that time on, I ate the white berries growing throughout the mountain. That stuff does taste like candy."

"Well the stuff Lucy's taking does something else. It's full of alcohol. She gets plastered."

Rai taps the red button again, shutting the TV off and lies on her back. "Do you mind if I unfasten my top?"

"Not really. It's not as if Kayla can snitch on you. She's just learning how to talk and she won't remember that." Rai unfastens her top, freeing her breasts. "I envy you. Your stomach is small and your boobs are so round. I would do that too, if my stomach wasn't this huge or my boobs so swollen with milk. Luckily this is my last pregnancy. I'm glad it's a boy. Finally the Higarashi name can live on."

Rai looks over at a small black box on Sota's table to read 2:15. "They still have time. Forty-five minutes."

Rai removes the spinning top from her pocket and rests it between her breasts. Rai closes her eyes and feels Shippo's essence caress her. She envisions Shippo lying on top of her, feeling her breasts with his hands. "Shippo, that feels so relaxing. Please keep your hands there."

Rai feels her breasts being massaged by his hands. "Shippo, that feels good. You know the way."

"Your boyfriend's here?"

"Of course he is. He's playing…Shippo, did your hands shrink?" Rai opens her eyes and sees Kayla lying on her chest, "Kayla? Why you?"

"Was she giving you a breast exam?"

"I thought she was Shippo. He does that for me."

"You let him do that?"

"Yes. It feels great. Puts me under." "Does Sota do that to you?"

"Yes but not now. My nipples are dripping with milk. He hates touching them when they're wet like this."

Rai holds Kayla so her stomach is held close to Rai's mouth. Kayla braces herself in Rai's grasp.

"You're going to get it," warns Hitomi.

Rai blows on Kayla's stomach, tickling her. Kayla squeals and giggles. "Yo fu-ee." Rai smiles at her and blows on her stomach again.

"That's what you get for fooling me. I thought you were a boy I know."

"Oy? Ba-ee oy?"

"No he's a big boy."

"Ig oy?"

"That's right. She's got a big boy to play with. He's like Daddy."

"He's not a daddy. He's as big as your daddy."

"Ig oy ike Da-ee. Pla-ee ee?"

"No he's not here. He's at home." "Can I play with you?" Kayla nods very big. Rai looks at the clock, reading 2:30. "We've got thirty minutes. What can we play?"

"She's got an electronic game she loves to play. Kayla, could you show Aunt Rai Mr. Gator?" Kayla giggles and hurries off the bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Rai sits up in the bed and refastens her top. She watches Kayla search the floor beside the large window. Rai glances out the window. She moves off the bed and walks towards the window. She looks at the courtyard below and sees a pyre in the middle of it. "There's a large pyre down there. I saw it earlier today."

"That's for Sota's Grandpa. It's set for tomorrow."

"What's this blue thing covering it?"

"That's a tarp," answers Hitomi. "Another reason Mrs. Higarashi postponed the funeral is because we're expecting rain."

"So what about you? You must have family."

"All my grandparents are dead. My mom and dad are coming to this funeral. So are my sister and her family."

"Any aunt, uncles, or cousins?"

"My mom has two sisters and a brother. Aunt Etta and her two sons are definitely coming. Aunt Ester isn't coming because her husband is on his last legs. He might die tomorrow. Uncle You might come. He called and told me he thinks he's coming down with the flu, though. He knows I'm about to deliver soon, so he might not come."

"Does your mother know about the baby's gender?"

"She thinks I'm still having a girl, so does Dad. I'm going to let them keep thinking that until he arrives."

"What about Hanna? What if she blabs?"

"I've got that covered. I've asked a girlfriend of mine to baby-sit Hanna and Kayla. They're too young for funerals anyways, especially with an open burning."

Rai closes her eyes. "I can sense it. Tomorrow night I want to stand beside Kagome. She's going to need someone."

"I'll do the same for Sota. I know how broken up he is now about his grandfather's passing. Watching him burn to ashes may be too much for him."

Rai backs away from the window and sits on the bed. "You want to watch that show again?"

"What about?" Rai looks back and sees Kayla sleeping with her head lying against Hitomi's stomach.

Rai looks at the clock and sees 2:45. "Hitomi, if it's okay, can I take a bath? I'm supposed to go out with Kagome and I reek. I don't want to offend your era's shop keepers."

"As if you need my permission. You're nineteen, almost twenty. I'd go for it. Do you know how to work the faucet knobs?" Rai nods. "There is shampoo and body wash in dispensers."

"What's this shampoo stuff for?"

"Washing hair. Doesn't your era have that?"

"No. I'm usually using plant oils with extremely hot water to wash my hair. I also use soap stones to wash my body."

"Similar concept here."

Rai exits the room and enters the bathroom. She closes the bathroom door and opens the door on the bathtub. She sits at the edge of the tub, in front of the faucet. She grasps the knot with a red insert and looses it, letting the hot water pour out the spout. She turns the knob with the blue insert, opening it slightly. "Not quite. Needs to be…there. Hot-spring heat." She cups her hands under the faucet spout, collecting a portion of water. She sips the water. "Tastes fine. Not as perfect as hot spring water, but I guess it's fine for this world."

"Hitomi, it's not filling up."

"There's a rubber stopper to the left of the faucet. Use that to plug the drain."

Rai grabs the stopper and searches the base of the tub until she sees a small circular metal grate directly below the faucet. She squishes the stopper over the drain, creating suction. Quickly the water fills the tub. Rai undresses and sits with her legs in the water.

"You might want to shut the water off, before it spills over." Rai nods and tightens the knobs, shutting off the water. She slips into the water, dipping her head under the water. She holds her face under the water for thirty seconds, and then slowly bobs back out. She spots two bottles next to her head. The first bottle is colored blue and reads "Shanpu" in kanji scrawled down the label. Rai cups one hand under the dispenser and presses it down with her other hand, producing a small amount of shampoo in her hand. She starts rubbing the shampoo on her head, creating suds. She uses her claws to spread the suds all over her head. She smoothes the soap over her pointy ears, washing them from base to tip. After soaping down her entire hair, she dunks her head back under the water, rinsing off the suds.

As her head reemerges from the water, she hears a sharp knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Yami. Who are you?"

"This is Rai. You woke up early."

"Are you taking a bath?"

"I felt dirty, besides I'm going out shopping with your aunt Kagome."

"Are you going to be long?"

"Five or ten minutes. Why? What's the matter?"

"That's too long."

"If you have to pee, then come on in and go. I don't mind sharing the bathroom with anyone."

Rai closes the tub door; at the same time Yami opens the bathroom door. Yami staggers in, with her legs pressed together. She reaches the toilet and drops her shorts as quickly as possible and sits over the bowl.

Rai pays no attention to Yami and pumps the green bottle marked with "Sekken" in kanji. It suds immediately and Rai scrubs down her body with it.

"What time is it?" asks Rai.

"2:55. Kagome alerted us to get up. I got up and had to pee really bad. Why did you and mom leave that fast?"

"Your mother had the same reason to get up as you. Besides she wanted to check on Kayla. Then we just stayed in her room and talked."

"Right, what grown-ups normally do."

"She also showed me this TV in the room. The show I saw had this really grumpy man yelling at his woman."

Rai dips into the water, rinsing the soap off her body. She unplugs the drains and sits in the tub naked. She stands on her knees and both hands, shaking the water off her body like a dog. Yami stands back up and flushes the toilet. "My dog, Raito, does that after we give him a bath."

"Well I'm a dog hanyou, just like our uncle, InuYasha. His brother, Chichi-ue, is a full demon dog, so is Jii-chan."

"Are you just going to stay like that? Wet and naked?"

"I can dry myself off. In the Feudal Era, there is nothing to dry off with. Only the sun and the wind can dry you." "As far as being naked, I'm comfortable with it. Normally at bedtime, that's how I sleep. It's my comfort zone."

Rai starts dressing when Yami stops her. "I think Kagome wants you in her room. She says she has something for you. I think it's clothes."

Rai nods and only slips on her top and skirt. She rolls up her leggings and carries them out of the bathroom. She searches the hallway until she sees Kagome in her bedroom. Rai knocks on the hinged wooden door. "Come in."

Rai opens and sees Kagome sitting on her bed. "I heard you in the bathroom. How was the bath?"

"Felt great. Just like a hot spring. I even made it feel like one. My hair. My skin. They haven't felt like this since Carla's milk baths."

"Can I blow dry and comb your hair? It'll make it softer." Rai nods and sits on the bed beside Kagome. Kagome picks through a basket beside her bed and pulls out a hair dryer and a prong wired brush. She plugs the dryer into an outlet beside her bed and sets to work drying Rai's hair. "You were up here a while."

"Yeah, sorry I didn't wake you like I promised."

"Don't worry about it. That gave us plenty of time to talk to Grandpa. Rai, that's the best gift you gave us. Rarely do family members of the deceased have the ability to talk to them. Memories are much better than flowers. It was also a present for him, directly. Sota had a chance to say what he wanted to. Mom had stuff on her mind; things she forgot to say before he died. I thought that was it, I would never see him again. But now he says he's going to remain in our lives until we're able to cope with his passing."

"Best way is to appear in your dreams. Since he's dead, he's able to appear to more than one person at the same time."

"What were you doing up here? I heard the bath turn on at 2:45, but you were up for longer than that."

"I was talking to Hitomi. Her parents, sister, and aunt are coming tomorrow night. Both her sister and aunt are bringing their families."

"Her sister has a large family. She's the real baby maker. She was pregnant the day she was married to the father. They love each other, thank goodness. She's got nine kids; two of them are identical twin boys. Her aunt Etta's family is also huge."

"I also watched this thing called a TV. It had American Kabuki."

"Really? What show was it?"

"I don't know. She called it 'Lucy's Love'."

"You mean 'I Love Lucy'? I love that show. It's a classic comedy. Grandpa was a young man, about Shippo's current age, when that was brand new."

"That's supposed to be funny? That guy sounded like InuYasha in a bad mood. His woman wasn't making herself stronger against him. Acted more like a female servant than a wife."

"That's the comedy of the time period. That's how women were viewed, servants of their husbands."

"I was prepared to yell out Tameru to this Ricky guy, making him freeze in place."

"I thought that spell works only on demons. Ricky is human."

"I can tell humans to freeze. That would shut that dumbass Ricky up quick."

"Not much you can do now. The actors on that show are all dead. They've been gone forever. Besides that was only acting. Don't worry about that woman, anyways. She's always playing the sympathy card."

"So what's this stuff Yami told me about?"

"I've got clothes if you want to borrow them. We're going out and your things might look strange to people in this world. I've been noticing you don't wear undergarments too much."

"I wear white fundoshi. But that's about it."

"Doesn't that ride? Sumo wrestlers wear that to expose their butt."

"Samurai wear them too. In battle sometimes I'll strap my breasts and stuff the fundoshi to make the enemy think he's fighting a guy."

"You don't have anyone to impress in this world. However I'll let you borrow panties and a bra to cup your breasts."

Kagome stands up and walks to her closet. She pulls out a black strapless bra and white panties and tosses them back to Rai. Rai quickly undresses and tries both undergarments on. "This bra thing works like my armor."

"Yeah, but I'll bet the bra's more comfortable." Rai stands up and walks towards the closet. "I don't know if any of my pants will fit you. You're taller than me, more Mom's height." Kagome feels her arms. "My shirts might be snug too." Kagome forces Rai's elbow to bend. "You've got muscles, almost like a man's."

"What do you expect from wielding two swords?" Rai searches the closet until she finds a black-strapped top and a blue-pleated skirt. She shows them to Kagome. "Won't these solve the too-snug problem?"

"A black sleeveless top and the skirt from a middle-school uniform? Try them on."

Rai fits the top over her upper body. "So far, I like this." Rai looks at herself in a full-length mirror on Kagome's bedroom door. She steps into the skirt and fits it around her waist.

"That skirt used to be InuYuzu's. I had one like that too, but I think it would have been too short for you. Besides it was bright green and would have clashed with that top." "You've got such long legs. Don't be surprised if guys whistle at you." Kagome slips a ring on Rai's finger. "This will make them think you're unavailable."

Rai parades herself in front of the mirror. "This is cute."

"There are socks to go with that skirt."

Rai shakes her head. "I don't like a lot of clothes. This is fine. It's lightweight. My things are light, including the leggings. Any heavier and I get overheated."

"Then we'll look for summer kimonos. They have light materials."

"Can I buy them?"

"I'll give you money. I've got to buy for myself too. I don't have a black kimono."

"Black?"

"At funerals, you wear black."

"That's right. I have to wear black then."

"You don't have to. Nobody will think you don't care if you wear more vibrant colors. You don't even know who he was. Besides I know there's a festival in your era."

"It's in two days after I change back from being human. I want to show Shippo my new kimono."

Rai opens the door and strolls toward the top of the stairs. She glances below and watches Ichiro float around. She watches him disappear towards the front entrance. "Kagome, I'll meet you outside," Rai hollers back.

"Sure thing." Rai dashes down the steps and walks toward the entryway. She steps into her sandals and walks out the door.

Rai scans the area until she sees Ichiro pushing a broom in the courtyard. "Sir? I know you saw me. What are you…?"

"Young lady, these temple grounds must be maintained. Are you going to do it for me? No."

"Old man, do you have any idea how weird it looks for you to act as if nothing happened to you? You're a ghost."

"So what. I can still keep things in order."

"Leave that for Saya or Kagome. This is their home too." Rai suddenly senses someone approach the courtyard steps. She sees a woman with short dark-brown hair and blue eyes. She quickly snatches the broom from Ichiro.

"What was that for?" he protests.

The woman catches Rai's eyes and walks up to her. "Who are you?" she asks, studying Rai's face. "You look like that InuYasha guy."

"I'm his niece, Rai."

"Yeah, so is Kagome ready?"

"She'll be out…uh…"

"Yuka. Yuka Nimora. So what are you doing?"

"I was sweeping this place up."

"That's my job!" protests Ichiro, trying to fight Rai for the broom handle. Yuka watches the broom being pulled by unseen forces. Rai tries to keep the broom, trying to disguise the weirdness of the situation.

"Yuka, surprised to see you up here," chimes Kagome.

"Yeah. What's going on? This place seems haunted now that your grandpa died."

"It is haunted," confirms Rai, "He's the one haunting it." She finally gives up the broom and lets Ichiro sweep the courtyard. "See what you've done? Now this poor woman is scared of this place because of you."

"Aren't you scared?" asks Yuka.

"Of who? Mr. Higarashi? Not a chance. He's not scary."

"Rai's a psychic. She's able to see and talk to ghosts as if they were ordinary living people."

"They are ordinary. Aside from the fact that they are dead, they are ordinary people. Mr. Higarashi died recently so he might not be fully aware of the fact that he's dead. He carries on as though he was alive. He does what he thinks he needs to do. A lot of ghosts are like that. I've accepted that reality and that's why I'm not scared."

"I'm not ordinary. How dare you!"

"Mr. Higarashi, I didn't mean it like that," sighs Rai, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. Can we leave? This conversation is freaking me out," shivers Yuka, "Car's down the steps. Eri and Ayumi are waiting."

"Who are these people?" Rai asks as all three women walk towards the steps.

"Friends of mine since middle school," smiles Kagome, "I mentioned we were going kimono shopping. They wanted to come along."

"We feel for you, that's all," sighs Yuka.

"Can we stop by an ATM? Rai wants spending money."

"You didn't bring your own money?" asks Yuka.

"I was told gold coins wouldn't work here."

"Gold? Real gold? Are you rich?"

"I'm not rich. I'm a wandering samurai, and money is more of a hassle than anything."

"You a samurai? I find that hard to believe," snuffs Yuka.

"Believe it. I've been training at a dojo on Mount Hiei my whole life."

"If you really want to know,Yuka, I can set it up so she's sparring with InuYasha for tomorrow. Her powers will be limited, but she relies on strength to fight."

"Won't his be as well?" asks Rai.

"The first night of the month was last week. I will ask him to refrain from using Tetsusaiga on you."

Rai, Kagome, and Yuka hasten down the steps and make it into Yuka's red convertible. "What is this thing? Some sort of cart?"

"This is a car, what else did you think it was?"

"What's a car? How does it move without a horse pulling it?"

"What? Geez, you're like a little kid asking…"

"Yuka, she's not from this era. Rai comes from the same Feudal Era as InuYasha." Kagome presses a button on the dashboard, automatically lowering the roof of the car.

Rai gazes in wonder at the various buildings making up the urban landscape of Yuka and Kagome's city. "I was picturing something like this when you talked of Tokyo. This is it, right?"

"This is Tokyo. We're in the residential section. Various family shops, schools, diners, and homes are here. If you'd like, Rai, we can swing by Wacdonald's first," offers Yuka.

"What's that place?" asks Rai.

"One of the diners we like to hang out at," chimes Eri, "We'd always hang out there as middle-school kids."

"I thought we were shopping for kimonos."

"Yeah, but I'm hungry," replies Ayumi, "Besides, we want to get to know you some more."

"So we're going to Wacdonald-dono's shop. What sort of ramen does he serve?"

"It's not a ramen shop," corrects Kagome, "Wacdonald isn't a person. It's just the name of the diner." The car arrives at the diner, and is parked on the curb.

Rai sniffs the air, promptly. "Smells of roasted beef, cheese, tomatoes, and burning potatoes."

"You can tell what the food is just by smell?" asks Yuka.

"Rai's a culinary artist. You should try what she makes. Her favorite thing is to add fruit," informs Kagome.

"Like what? Fruit in what?" asks Yuka.

"Like the other morning, she added cherry juice to rice. I couldn't stop eating that."

"A bowl of rice with cherry juice? Talk about sweet as candy," chuckles Ayumi.

"That's nothing compared to the rice balls she made this morning. Sango said those things sold more than the rest of the breakfast."

"What would make those sell more?" asks Eri.

"Fresh strawberries," replies Rai, "You squeeze strawberries into a juice and roll the rice ball in the juice. Then add a sliver of carrot for the vegetable." Ayumi starts fantasizing upon hearing this recipe.

"Oh my gosh, I love strawberries. My most favorite fruit. To taste a rice ball with that in the…I would…"

"Way to go, Rai. You've got Ayumi daydreaming," laughs Kagome. "Now you've got no choice but make those rice treats for us."

"I suppose," sighs Rai, gripping onto the door handle of the restaurant. She tugs on the door, trying to slide it open. Kagome pushes the door for her.

"Most places here don't have sliding doors."

Rai walks in first and gazes immediately at the front counter. She glances at the giant menus protruding from the ceiling behind the counter. "What is all of this? You've got paintings of the food served here?"

"What's the deal, lady? Never seen a menu before?" asks a young man behind the counter.

"Is that what that is? Your catalog of food paintings."

"Rai, they show the pictures of the food they sell," explains Kagome, "Sorry, sir. She's not from the area."

"What would you like, ma'am?" asks the young man.

"Perhaps the roasted beef I was smelling on my way in here. You know it was mixed with the cheese and tomatoes."

"You mean a cheeseburger?" he asks.

"Is that what you call it, sir? I guess I'll try it. Never hurts to try someone else's cooking. Maybe we can compare recipes."

"What do you mean? Do you plan to work here?"

"That would give me two shops…"

"Rai, stop confusing the poor kid," sighs Kagome. "This isn't like at home. That guy at the counter doesn't own the place, the manager does. There are cooks in the kitchen making the food."

"I see. So…"

"Listen, Rai. I'll order the food. We're getting number six, sir."

"We'll all get that," smiles Yuka, "Make things easy on you, sir."

"What's number six?"

"That's one of menu items," explains Kagome, "It consists of a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink."

"Is there tea?" asks Rai.

"Yeah, but it's not green tea. Try a Coke. That's sweet enough."

"Will that be all?" asks the employee, "¥1350." Yuka hands him the money and is given four 16-ounce plastic cups. Yuka hands one to Rai, who studies it intently.

Rai rubs her hand across the white plastic cylinder. She stares at the picture on the cup. "Who is this?" Rai points out to Kagome, "He looks like a Kabuki actor. He certainly is painted up like one."

"That's Ronald. He owns the whole chain."

"You've got a shogun painted up like a Kabuki actor?" asks Rai in a confused tone, "And he's allowing his likeness to be painted on stuff like this. What a generous shogun he is."

"He's not a shogun, just an…well it's hard to explain. He's a mascot," Kagome scratches her head.

"What's hard to explain?" asks Yuka, "This is a kid's character that represents the company. He makes it enticing to eat here."

"She's right about the Kabuki part," chimes Ayumi, "In his ads, Ron promotes the place to kids by singing and acting with the kids in the ads. I guess you could call it Kabuki for kids."

Kagome leads Rai over to the soda fountains. Rai stares at the strange devices in front of her. Kagome places her cup in the direct center and presses it against the lever. Rai watches the ice tumble quickly into the cup. She holds her fingers out to catch an ice cube. She sniffs it then proceeds to place in her mouth. "That's cold!" she shrieks, "It's like winter snow."

"Are you serious?" asks Yuka, "Have you never seen ice before?"

"Only in winter when the lakes freeze," sighs Rai. Rai follows after Kagome's example and presses her cup against the lever.

"You may need to only fill it up halfway," suggests Kagome, "Otherwise you won't have room for your drink." Rai nods and removes the cup from the ice dispenser. She studies the various taps.

"You're mistaken, Kagome. There is green tea." Rai points out a label with a green-and-yellow S in the center.

"That's Sprite. You might like that better. It's got lemon and lime flavors."

"I've used lemons in cooking before. Kyoto has fruit imports and I've bought lemons there." Rai presses her cup against the lever under the Sprite. She watches it pour out from the spout. "This drink looks like sake."

"Yeah but it doesn't have alcohol in it. Plus it tastes better," assures Kagome.

"Are you serious? You've been to Kyoto?" asks Ayumi.

"Rai's from there. She's lived there all her life. Well actually…"

"What Kagome is saying, I've lived and trained on Mt. Hiei my whole life. I'm a samurai. Kyoto's the village closest to my dojo."

"It's not just a village anymore," corrects Kagome, "Kyoto is a major city, same as Tokyo is. This city is where your uncle's village is in your time."

"This is Edo? What will become of Oji(san)'s village is this place you call Tokyo?"

"That's right," nods Kagome.

"What becomes of Kikyo's shrine and Kaede's temple?"

"It's here. But hardly anyone remembers. It's been 500 years and that's too long for anyone to remember."

"I see. So my world is locked away and forgotten. Has the influence of either Naraku or Nakuhebi erased the minds of the inhabitants residing in your world?"

"Hard to say. Naraku never came through to this realm. I doubt Nakuhebi would either."

Eri walks past with a tray full of food. "Shall we sit in our usual spot? Rai, you can sit where Kagome usually does."

Rai's nose twitches at the scent coming off the food. "Something smells of meat essence mixed with half-burnt potatoes. The taste of the aroma is like sea air."

"That's the fries you're smelling," laughs Ayumi, "You certainly have a keen nose for things, like a dog."

"I am a dog, well a hanyou dog. My uncle is a hanyou dog and Chichi-ue and Jii-chan are full dog demons."

"Here we thought the only dog demons were InuYasha and InuYuzu," replies Eri.

Eri places the tray on a table beside the huge display window, in the back of the establishment. The five women sit along the pocket booth, seating comfortably. Rai notices a gang of high school boys gathered in the booth in front of them. A couple of the boys watch Rai walk by and whistle at her.

"What are you looking at, Bakura?" asks a black-haired boy seated behind Ayumi, wearing a black uniform and sunglasses over his eyes.

"Didn't you notice a fine fox walking through here just now?" grumbles a boy with short red hair, blue eyes, and the same color uniform as his friend. "No Hekaki, I guess you were too busy putting away your Tomato to even notice."

"Fellas, I'm a dog, not a fox," corrects Rai.

"Really Miss? You're a dog? I can see by your ears that you're like a dog." Bakura slides out of his seat and walks over to her. "Can you stand for me?" Rai complies and stands away from the table. Bakura studies her, watching her moves.

"Rai, don't overdo it," reminds Kagome.

"I'm not."

"Wow, you are one hot babe. Would you go out with me sometime?"

"Thanks for your offer, but I must decline. My heart only belongs to one man. I couldn't live with myself if I broke Shippo's heart."

"Who's Shippo?" asks Yuka.

"That's the fox demon she's seeing," sighs Kagome. She digs through her purse and produces a photo of the young man. "I took this picture of him when he returned to us two months ago."

"Oh my. He's cute," comments Yuka, "No wonder why she likes him."

Rai sits back in her seat and looks at the photo. "That's my Shippo. Kagome, where did you get this painting of him? Did you paint him?"

"That's not a painting," corrects Yuka, "In this modern world, that's called a photograph. All you need for that is film and a camera."

"This was digital actually," corrects Kagome, "This requires no film. Just a camera port and a computer."

Rai studies the photo of Shippo. 'Wish you were here, my love. I want to see you. Please, if only your likeness could speak to me.' Tears form her eyes and drip onto her cheeseburger.

"Rai, what's the matter?" asks Eri.

"I know that look on her face," sighs Yuka, "That was the same look Kagome used to have with her delinquent boyfriend/husband. Rai misses this Shippo guy in the same way. She loves him."

"Yeah, except the difference here is Shippo doesn't have a woman coming between the two of them," sighs Kagome, "This is both of their true first loves."

"Is that right?" asks Eri, "So there are romances that have no two-timers involved. These two love each other without any old baggage hanging around them."

"Rai, why did you come here if you'd be this torn up from Shippo not being here?" asks Eri.

"I had to come. Kagome's grandfather…"

"You came for his funeral? Did you even know him?" asks Eri.

"No but I did see him."

"When I came to get Kagome and Rai, I guess, I saw her struggling against someone or something, fighting over a broom?"

"Sorry, but I just…Ichiro needs to learn there's nothing he can do anymore."

"Ichi…You mean Higarashi-dono? But you can't…He's dead!" shrieks Eri, "You can't just talk to him…"

"Rai is a psychic. She can see and talk to the dead," explains Kagome, "She talks to her grandfather all the time, and he's been dead for more than 700 years, 200 in her time."

"So you see ghosts. Doesn't that scare you? Ghosts are scary," replies Yuka.

"Is that what you think? I fear the living more than the dead, sometimes. Evil highwaymen raid an innocent village, with no morals or motives, just because the village was in their way. Lives of the villagers tremble against this unforeseen menace, as these evil bastards kill the men, rape the women, and force the children to do their bidding. The constant fear of being killed lingers on in the minds of the villagers. Nothing they can do to prevent this raid." Rai sighs, as she sips her soda, "I tell you, that's scarier than any ghost I've ever met."

Yuka and Eri shriek at Rai's scenario. "Does that really happen?" shivers Yuka.

Kagome nods and sighs. "That's how it is in the Feudal Era. I go there for real and have seen stuff like this. It's nothing like what you read in the textbooks. What History class has taught only skims the surface of the reality of this era."

"Kagome, what's up with these potato sticks? They have no real kick to them. Salty is all there is."

"You don't like them, Rai?" Yuka asks.

"They taste as they smell. Half burnt potatoes roasted in lard, sprinkled with salt, and sliced into strips. Is this all the cooks here do with this?"

"There's not much else you can do with fries. If you don't like them, then you don't have to eat them," sighs Yuka.

"Wouldn't that be an insult to the guy who prepared these? I'd hate to make him go through all that trouble of fixing food, just for it to be snuffed at."

"Don't worry about it," smiles Ayumi, "The cooks here get paid to make them. Besides they go through thousands of customers a day."

"Where I come from, it's insulting to the cook to toss out his cooking. I'm a cook myself, so I know the pains it takes to make a meal. That's why I helped Raniku-dono. I wanted him to have a great meal. I didn't want him to think I was insulting him."

"That wasn't an insult. Didn't he enjoy the crowd gathered around his shop? I thought the food was awesome."

"Who is Raniku?" asks Yuka.

"An old man from the Feudal era. He owns or used to own a ramen shop in the village. Last night, Shippo, Rai, and my friend Sango helped him prepare this delicious ramen. Miroku and I had this stomach thing, making us sick. Rai had added pineapple, peppermint, and this white berry stuff from the mountain she's from. All four of these folks made this ramen that cleared the nausea up. Tasted out-of-this-world."

"Really, so what happened to the old man?" asks Eri.

"Raniku died. He died during the festivities. His funeral is tonight," Rai sighs heavily.

Kagome rubs her hand. "I know you wish you could have saved him. You did in a way."

"Yeah, that's what Miroku said. Shippo said the same thing."

"If you want, we can go to his funeral tonight. That way too, you can be with Shippo again."

"Kagome, but what…"

"I can't make you stay here if all you're going to be is lonely."

"That's no way to be," advises Yuka, "Staying here when your heart is over there."

"I don't know…no I can stay here for three days. I've gone without seeing him for two months. Three days ought to be no big deal."

"You were tracking him down the whole time though," recalls Kagome, "They met in…"

"Can I tell it? I was in Nagasaki two months ago. I passed through with my horse-companion Inazuma, when we saw a brothel. At this point my urge for sex was overwhelming. So I volunteered."

"You employed yourself in a disgusting place like that?" asks Yuka.

"In her time, volunteering in a whorehouse is common. You've got to understand, most women her age have very few options. They also don't know if or when they'll draw their last breath. Sorry, Rai, please continue."

"Well anyways I was sitting in the gallery, presenting myself, when he showed up. The prettiest man I had ever seen. Boyish face, long red hair tied back in a tail, standing about as tall as that guy who greeted us just now. He wore no shoes or sandals, instead he had animal feet. Then had this fluffy thing on his back, which I found out later, was a tail. He saw me in the window and bought me. His personality was as sweet and innocent as his appearance. He too was a traveler looking for love. We spent the whole night together. I had no other customers that night. The next morning, I gave the gold I made to the manager and left the brothel with him. After that, we went our separate ways. From that time on, I spent the entire two months tracking him down." Rai sniffs back her tears. "Three days ago, my search came to an end. I found him in Oji(san)'s village."

"So is that when you became an item?" asks Ayumi, wiping away tears from her face.

"That next morning, Shippo came up to Kaede's temple, where I was fixing breakfast. We got to talking and he introduced himself properly, I was calling him Shindo. Then we realized this was it. I found him. He said he couldn't stop thinking about me. Next thing I know, we're standing outside the temple when he knelt in front of me and asked me to be his woman. How could I refuse?"

"You couldn't because you listened to what your heart was telling you," sighs Yuka, "You love Shippo with all your heart. He loves you completely, right?"

Rai bites her lip, trying not to cry. "Yeah, with every fiber of his being. He's told me that countless times."

"Shippo's not the type to sway from a sure thing," replies Kagome, "He wants this to work. He's not going to give up on you. I've known Shippo for the past thirty years since he was a little kid. When he sets his heart on you, it's there to stay."

"I'm aware of that. I can see it in his eyes. I can see into his heart and soul. The love burns like an inextinguishable candle."

Ayumi stares into space, stirring her soda with her straw. 'What wondrous love. To have a guy like that, I wish my Yuji was like that.'

'If only you were around thirty years ago, giving Kagome pointers,' sighs Yuka.

"It's so sweet you found him," smiles Eri.

"I know who it was helping me search for him. Couldn't have been Buddha, that's not who I talk to."

"You think the Great Dog General was the one?" asks Kagome.

"Jii-chan has been with me my whole life. I see him all the time. I know he was the one helping me find Shippo."

"But he's dead, right?" asks Yuka.

"The dead have just as much input in the living world as we do. Sometimes even more so than we might think."

"Rai's got the ability to draw out your soul so you can see the departed yourself," informs Kagome, "Just a little while ago, Mom, Sota, Hitomi, InuYuzu, all of us were able to see Jii-chan, my Jii-chan, again. We were able to talk to him, hug him. We got to see Hitomi's baby, which is a boy."

"You serious?" asks Yuka, "I was certain she was having another girl."

"Sota, Mom, and I thought so too. But when…"

"When I saw Hitomi I also saw the spirit of the child within her. He spoke to me in a voice like his father's. No mistaken it. That was definitely a son, an heir to your family. The Higarashi name will live on. I even suggested his name to be that of his ancestor, his great-grandfather."

"So as one Ichiro Higarashi disappears from this world tomorrow night, another Ichiro is brought here, maybe to fulfill his great-grandfather's legacy," sighs Eri.


	13. Chapter 13

Rai stares at her cheeseburger, trying to collect herself. She bites into it cautiously. "This roast beef is deceptive. It's tempting to the nose, but deceptive to the tongue. Plus the flavor of the meat is disguised by a tomato sauce and a cream of mustard seed."

"You are very perceptive, Rai," comments Yuka. "That's how a burger is made."

"Well whoever cooked this needs lessons. The idea of cooking the meat is to make it the most distinctive thing in the entrée. The ingredients surrounding the meat must compliment its flavor. These two sharp flavors mask the meat altogether, as if the tomato and mustard seeds are the most important things."

"You really know your stuff about food," chimes Ayumi.

"If you'd like, I could make you all something. Maybe tonight, if your mother would permit me, Kagome?" eggs on Rai.

"Yes, I think she would enjoy your cooking."

"Would you make that strawberry…?" Ayumi starts to beg.

"Strawberry rice-balls? Of course. Have you tasted them, Kagome?"

"The stuff Sango was making. Yeah, I went by the shop. You and Shippo had taken off by that time."

"We had to. I had to convince that stubborn wolf why he couldn't visit the cave. You know, the one that's obsessed with you."

"Koga. After all this time, he's still in love with me. Thirty years later and he's still after me. Did you tell InuYasha your plans to visit him?"

"What good would that have done? I prefer meeting on peaceful terms. Besides Shippo was with me. I also know how to take care of a man if he gets fresh with me, and he's not Shippo."

"What do you do?" asks Ayumi.

"Does it have anything to do with that spell you cast that gang leader this morning?" asks Kagome.

"What did she do?" asks Yuka.

"I didn't see the dream myself. Shippo warned me against seeing it, said it would have me throwing up again after yesterday."

"That spell made the leader think I was eating him alive. He was the only one watching himself getting eaten…well him and one of his friends. That guy was puking. But the leader was feeling it and thinking it. The rest of his gang didn't know what was going on."

"Is that what you do to a pervert?" asks Yuka.

"That's the mildest thing I can do. I've made one gang leader 'sterile' the hard and most painful way."

"How do you mean?" asks Yuka with a grimace on her face. Rai crinkles her right hand, exposing her claws upward.

"These claws can get very dangerous, especially around a man's privates. It doesn't take much either." Rai picks up the cheeseburger with her left hand and drives her claws on her right hand, underneath the sandwich. "Imagine this thing is a man's ball-sack."

"Okay…no need to demonstrate further," shrieks Yuka.

"Well what I did was rip them off Bruno's body. Ended the problem of his kidnapping girls and raping them."

"You really are dangerous around men," shivers Eri.

"You don't do that to Shippo, though, right?" asks Kagome.

"Nope," Rai replies, sipping her soda, "The same claws that ruin the manhood of a pervert's, caress his with tenderness."

"Is this why you are cautious about Miroku?"

"I'm beginning to trust him. He's a lecher, but not as bad as all that. Besides Sango has him tamed. Even if not, he has a gentle aura about him. I can see he means no harm. The perverts I mean are evil at heart and have no desire to make women feel at ease."

"Isn't Inazuma a pervert? He's a womanizer too," asks Kagome.

"But I thought this Inazuma was her horse. How is he a womanizer?" asks Yuka.

"He's interested in horse women. Flirting with cute young fillies is his thing. By the way, Inazuma isn't my horse. He's my companion and ally in battle, but I don't own him. Nobody owns him. When we're not in battle against some demon or highwaymen, he's free to do whatever he wants. Also he takes off on his own when nature calls. He hates anyone watching him go. He's also able to take care of himself in battle."

"Yeah, I've met this animal companion of hers. He's a demon horse. He's the younger brother of this horse, Entei, InuYasha killed thirty years ago. Inazuma's unusual for a horse, almost human in his manners. In his spirit form, he even takes on the appearance of a man with horse-like features."

"So, Kagome, when can we get to this kimono shop of yours?" asks Rai.

"Oh right. Yuka, we need to split," sparks Kagome.

"You didn't finish your meal," Eri points out to Rai.

"I know, but Saya fed us earlier and I'm still full from that. This thing you call a burger isn't tasting how it smelled, anyways."

"If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. You're not going insult the cooks here," reassures Yuka, sipping on her soda.

"I'm not eating more. Not if Rai's going to fix food later," sighs Eri.

"Besides the shops aren't going to stay open forever," replies Kagome, "They close at 7:00 and I know we all have places to be."

"Yeah, places…if only one of those places was…" Rai sighs.

"Rai, if you want to go back, go ahead," suggests Kagome, "I know you want to see Shippo. Just having his Smashing Top isn't enough. You don't even need my help crossing over. Just the same way InuYasha and InuYuzu don't."

"Maybe, but what about your grandfather?"

"What about him? That's not until tomorrow night. Maybe you can go to Raniku's funeral."

"Yeah, besides I promised Chichi-ue I would have Jii-chan appear to him. I want to be there for Chichi-ue just incase."

"There you go. Though I still find it strange for Sesshomaru of all people to need something like emotional support. Still…" Kagome sighs, "This is the first time in his life he's had someone other than Rin to care for him."

"I can't help but love him. Chichi-ue means everything to me. Isn't that what a child's job is, to love and care for her parents? I love Haha-ue, too. I want to help her as well, reunite with her family."

"Of course," sighs Kagome, "I love my parents too. I still love and miss Dad. He died when Sota and I were little. Since his death, Grandpa was the father-figure in our lives."

"I'm sure your dad wants to be there for his father. He might even be there tomorrow night." Rai glances out the window of the restaurant. She sees a man resembling Ichiro, but with a younger face and black hair. Rai smiles and waves at him, watching him disappear from her sight. "Kagome, now I'm more than certain."

Ayumi turns in her seat to see what Rai sees. "Whom are you waving at?"

Rai stands from her seat, while gazing out the window. "Kagome, do you see him?"

"See who?" asks Kagome.

"There's a man standing outside who looks like Ichiro, but in his late 40's."

"I don't see anyone," replies Yuka.

"I see him now," sighs Kagome.

"There's nobody out there," confirms Eri. "You must be looking at the reflection of…"

"No, there's no reflection. You're not psychic," sighs Kagome. "My dad's outside. Rai, why is he here?"

"Could you show me to where a bathroom is here?" asks Rai.

Kagome stands up. "If anyone asks, say we had to pee."

"Which room? He's asking, not me."

"Ladies. He's a ghost so it shouldn't matter to him." Rai mouths back Ladies to him.

"Who can see you in there? You're a ghost," whispers Rai. "I won't tell Saya that you were in the Ladies' room, you have my word."

"Mom should know his reluctance. He's shy about the wrong restroom and feminine stuff. He was like that when he was alive, according to her." Kagome leads Rai past the counter to a pair of doors, side by side, on the same wall. Kagome pushes the left door, which displays a girl symbol on the front. "Rai, before he gets in here, do you really have to pee?"

"I'm fine for now. However after awhile…never mind. What's more important is I asked for a bathroom so you could…well you want to see your father, don't you? I saw him when we were talking about him." Rai watches as she feels Kagome's father approach the room. "Please come in, sir. Rest assure nobody else will spot you." Rai stands back from the door and bows, as he floats through the door and into the room.

"D…Dad, it's been…" Kagome gazes at his appearance. "It's…uh." Tears well in Kagome's eyes.

"Sir, have you gotten materializing down to a science yet? I know your father hasn't because…"

"I can…uh…who are you?"

"Dad, this is my niece, Rai. She's from the Feudal Era just like InuYasha is."

"I know that young man. Dad was always making up stories about illnesses just so you could visit him. What your niece is doing here is my question?"

"I came because…her family…I'm a granddaughter too. Jii-chan's been dead ever since Oji(san) was born, but I've got the ability…I'm a psychic."

"I figured you were, since I'm one of the dead."

"Dad, she's helped us connect to Grandpa. Sota, Mom, Hitomi, the kids, all of us…she helped us talk to him again and interact with him. He's seen the baby."

"Higarashi-sama, do you know you've got an heir? Sota and Hitomi are…"

"I've seen him. You think you're the only one who can see living spirits as well, young lady? I know the Higarashi name will live on. I'm more than sure Dad was pleased by that. I would like to see my grandson for real. Has Sota given him a name yet?"

"I suggested your dad's name," sighs Rai.

"Ichiro? That'd be good. Can't think of a better name for the boy." Kagome's father materializes and turns to Kagome. She sees him, while blinded by tears pouring down her face.

"D…Dad. I just c…can't. I was so sure…" He embraces Kagome, kissing and sniffing her forehead. Kagome's tears fall through him to the floor, despite the materialization.

Rai bites her lip, watching both holding each other. Her attention turns back towards the door. "Sir, can I…?"

"Please call me Akira."

"Someone needs in here. I can sense them approaching this room." Rai closes her eyes. "Oh, it's Kagome's friends."

"Should I leave? I know they can't see ghosts."

"No but Yuka did see Rai fighting with Grandpa over a broom earlier."

"Yeah, I saw that," snuffs Akira. "I need to have a talk with Dad about that. Does he know he's dead?"

"I don't think the concept has sunk in yet. He wanted to eat your wife's food, he wanted back in his body, refused my help to sweep the grounds for him…"

"I know. He thinks he's still alive," laughs Akira, shaking his head.

"Maybe since you're dead, he might listen to you," suggests Kagome.

"I wish your dad, Akira, was as with-it as Jii-chan."

"Well your grandpa wasn't senile," replies Kagome, "Inu no Taisho was like a deity, still is. He's got great influence in not only your life, but also your father's, Sesshomaru, and your uncle's, InuYasha. This guy, Dad, is someone you should really meet. Since you're dead, same as him…"

"I don't know, since he's a deity…"

"Kagome, they're outside the door," warns Rai, "I think Eri has to go."

"She's right. I need to leave anyways. I'll be at the temple with Dad."

"See you later, Dad," Kagome smiles, as she watches him disappear.

Eri pushes the door open and sees Rai and Kagome by themselves. "Whom were you talking to?"

"My dad," sighs Kagome.

"But he's…you mean you saw his ghost. He was in here?"

"That's why I asked for a bathroom, so we could talk in private to him."

"I see. I guess I'm glad you got the chance to talk with him. If you don't mind though, my soda has gone through me."

"So has Saya's food," replies Rai, "My ass is calling."

After awhile, both Rai and Eri reemerge from the restroom, talking between the two of them. "So you're saying even I can see the dead. But I can't see ghosts like you."

"Eri, I've got a spell that can separate your soul from your body. You'll still be alive, but then you'll be able to see the dead. It's not as scary as you think."

"She did that for my family," confirms Kagome. "I could see Grandpa, anyways. But Mom and Sota couldn't."

"If he learns to materialize, they could without my help. Perhaps Akira could teach him."

"Well Dad's had much more time to adjust. He's been dead longer," informs Kagome, "Besides he wasn't senile when he died."

"What happened to him?" asks Rai.

"Car accident. He was hit by a drunk driver and was killed instantly."

"Sorry about that. That had to be painful, both for him and you," sighs Rai. Rai embraces Kagome. "Sorry for so much pain."

"I know. It'll be all right. Seeing Dad again, seeing Grandpa. It's like…thanks so much for being here." Tears well in Kagome's eyes and drip on Rai's chest. Eri stands beside Kagome, rubbing her back.

"You'll see them again," whispers Rai, kissing Kagome's forehead.

Kagome sighs and glances at her watch. "Oh. We need to get going. We've got three hours until the shop closes. I still don't have money for you, Rai."

Rai nods as she, Kagome, and Eri make their way towards the exit. Outside in the car, Yuka and Ayumi wait patiently for their friends' approach. Ayumi turns the engine on as the three seat themselves in the backseat.

"Were you waiting long?" asks Kagome.

"Naw, don't worry about it," reassures Ayumi, "We figure you're still upset about your grandfather's passing. You can take how ever long you want."

"Well you'll have your father there too," replies Rai, "He whispered that to me on his way out."

"Will he be there tomorrow?" asks Kagome. Rai nods.

"But he's dead," replies Yuka, "How is Kagome's dad going to be there when he's dead?"

"He just will. He might even materialize for you to see. Might make Saya more comfortable to see her husband again. Has Sota ever seen him?"

"He did, but he was very young when Dad died," replies Kagome. "I don't know. Maybe seeing him again will be comforting to Sota."

"I still don't know how that works," shrugs Yuka.

"I'm with you," replies Eri, "I don't get how Rai just talk about the dead like this. Kagome either. Ghosts are just freaky."

"It's not like that," reassures Rai. "Ghosts are no different than you are. They feel the same as you, think like you do. Sometimes when someone dies, it's sudden and they don't believe they are dead. They do what they've done most of their lives. Ichiro-dono feels he still has business here and wants to maintain his shrine and temple area as he's always done. He's going about his day despite being dead. He still feels a deep connection to this world and probably wishes to remain here."

"It'd be comforting to have him around still," sighs Kagome, "While we were separated from our bodies temporarily, he said he was going to remain here until we're ready to cope with his passing. I'm grateful to Rai for giving us this opportunity to speak with him again. Grandpa looks the same as he did when he was alive."

Rai glances all around her, studying the urban landscape. She watches an ambulance speed by, followed by three police cars, all with sirens blaring. "What are those things? Cars with lights on them. There's a big white one here, too."

"There must have been an accident," replies Eri. "In a city this size, that's bound to happen."

Rai observes an intersection and sees emergency vehicles surrounding a blue van and a red convertible. She exchanges glances with a black-haired man wearing a white shirt, black tie, and black business suit, as he paces around the accident scene. Rai sighs deeply. "I see. I understand. But sir, there's nothing you can do now. Be there for them is the best you can do now. Appear in their dreams."

"Who are you talking to?" asks Yuka.

"That man back there. That one pacing around wearing black beside all those flashing cars. He said he was on his way home when that thing he calls a van crashed into him."

"Whom do you mean?" asks Ayumi, adjusting her back mirror, "I don't see anyone but the EMTs."

Kagome sighs deeply. "That man's a ghost. He died in that accident. That's what happened with my dad. He was on his way home from work when he was hit. Died almost instantly like that."

"He's telling me he's got a wife at home and two little kids. Kagome, I've got to go back to the house and get Naosusaiga. That sword could bring him back. It rivals Chichi-ue's Tensaiga. It has the ability to restore life."

"Let him go. Nothing you can do here. This isn't like the Feudal Era."

"I can't just let him die. His family is waiting for him back home. He's the only breadwinner in the family. He's telling me his wife can't work and his two sons are only 4 and 2 years in age. I've got to do something. If I restore him to life, then he can do what he has to."

"You can do that? But how?" asks Eri. Rai leaps out of the car and dashes quickly across the street. She leaps onto the roof of a building and sprints from one rooftop to the next. Within minutes she locates the Higarashi temple. As she approaches the house, she spots InuYasha exiting the well house.

"What's going on?"

"No time to explain. There's been an accident not too far from Ayumi's car." Rai dashes into the house and grabs her sword.

"Where's Kagome?"

"In the same car as Ayumi." Rai dashes back out of the house and zips back across the trees and rooftops, followed close behind by her uncle.

"I thought you couldn't fly?"

"Short distances are no problem for me, and this Tokyo place has plenty of things to land on."

"That's true. So who are you saving now? I don't sense demons here."

"There aren't demons here, but I can't just let this man die. That's why I brought Naosusaiga with me."

"But you don't know him, do you?"

"Oji(san), I couldn't live with myself if he perished. It would mean the death of his family."

"You certainly have a different approach to saving someone than Sesshomaru. You're just like me. That's what it means to be human, or…"

"Hanyou like you." Rai reaches the site of the accident first and approaches the crushed vehicle. She follows the bloody scent of the victim to the back of the ambulance. She sees his body lying on a stretcher with a white sheet covering his head.

"Wait, who are you?" asks a masked man dressed in a white medical jumpsuit. Rai ignores him and withdraws her sword. "Hey, someone stop her!" he shouts out.

"That's a samurai sword," remarks a police officer, rushing towards her. He's followed close behind by two more officers.

"Put down that sword, ma'am," orders another officer, pointing his gun at her. Rai ignores the officer's orders and holds the sword over the dead man's body.

"Do you intend to kill me as I restore this man's life? He wishes to be alive again and I want to honor his request. His family is counting on him to be there." Rai closes her eyes and starts to pray with her free left hand. Suddenly her eyes blink open and she chants, "Kaifuku suru shogai." Instantly, blue light from the sword engulfs the man's body. Without hesitation, she slashes her sword across his wounds and throughout his entire body.

Rai rolls back the sheet covering the man's head and kneels before him. Slowly he starts coming to and opens his eyes. "What happened? Where am I?" he starts to ask.

EMTs draw closer to the man, looking at him and Rai with amazement. The officer, who had ordered Rai to drop her sword, approaches them cautiously. The revived man looks at Rai, as she resheathes her sword. "What's your name, sir?"

"Shino. Shino Takeuchi."

"Shino, what happened was you were dead. That thing you call a van crashed your car and killed you. I reattached your soul to your body and healed your injuries."

Shino slowly sits up from the stretcher and is helped to his feet by Rai. Rai glances into InuYasha's eyes, while officers approach all three of them. "How are the people in that van thing?" Rai asks.

An officer with short black hair and a blue uniform reaches her first. He escorts Shino to his feet, offering himself as a brace for Shino. "Ma'am, that van had two guys in it with blood alcohol levels of 3.0. Their injuries aren't as severe as his was. We were going to report this as involuntary manslaughter, but just what the heck did you do?"

"I restored his life as he requested." Rai slowly notices a crowd gathered around. Murmurs among the gathered people reach to her perked ears. InuYasha glances at the crowd, uneasy about the gathering.

"Now see what you did. You of all people wished to blend into normal society, but now this…you've drawn attention to yourself."

"Small inconvenience, Oji(san). I'm not bothered by this. What's most important is this man; Shino's life has been restored. It's what Jii-chan did for you and your mother, is it not?"

"Where did…did he tell you that?" Rai nods. "I see. You're more in contact with my father than I am. Makes sense he'd tell you something like that."

"You restored his life? Are you some sort of god or savior?" asks the officer beside her.

"Sir, I just…I've got the power and means to restore life and heal a person's injuries. Shino told me while he was dead he just couldn't leave his family, not like that. Sir…"

"Call me Sakoto. Officer Yui Sakoto."

"Sakoto-san, do you too have a family?"

"Two girls and a son on the way."

"If you were down to your last legs, wouldn't you want your life to be spared for the sake of your children? You're a good father; I can see it in your eyes."

Rai watches Kagome approach the accident scene, followed by her friends. "InuYasha, what are you doing here?"

"Me? I should be asking you that."

"We were going kimono shopping when she took off and returned with her healing sword."

"Sorry I disobeyed you, Kagome, but…"

"Why are you sorry? What's most important is you went with what your instincts were telling you and saved the man's life."

"Should I do that for your grandfather?"

"No. He's lived a full life. Besides if you revived him, he wouldn't last as long."

"So do you think we should get to the kimono shop now?" asks Rai.

"Right. InuYasha will you stick around the shrine a little while?"

"I guess…"

"I'll do the cooking," Rai entices him.

"You? Then of course."

"By the way, how's my Shippo?"

InuYasha shakes his head, "Your Shippo is…how do I say this? Moping around. He's drawing pictures of you, writing letters, he's…"

"Doing what you used to when we fell in love," sighs Kagome. "He's becoming like you. Perhaps tonight, Rai, after you cook your meal for us, send him a lunch box yourself."

As Rai walks away with Kagome and her friends, back to Ayumi's car, Rai looks back into the eyes of Shino. "I hope he's okay…his family…I."

"He'll be all right now. Let the police handle his case from here. He's alive again thanks to you," Kagome reassures her.

"Yeah, how did you do that?" asks Yuka.

Rai holds out her sword. "This is how. Naosusaiga is my healing sword. I told you it rivals Tensaiga. Plus I used one of my incantations with it."

"Tensaiga was a sword wielded by her father, Sesshomaru. It was given to him by his father. It had the ability to restore life. That's how he and her mother met. Rin was a child killed by wolves and he revived her with it."

"They've been together ever since. When Haha-ue came of age, she married him. Then she had two pups with him. Sesshaku is my older brother by two years. He's in China in my era as a bomb expert. Meanwhile I stayed here on this island training to be a samurai."

The women pile into the car. Just as Kagome and Rai approach the right rear door, Kagome wheels around and embraces Rai. "Rai, have I failed to tell you how much I love you? If only Shippo saw what you did today, to help that poor man."

"He caught a glimpse today in forest in Koga's territory. In the midst of battle, he said he got struck by a pig demon. Shippo fainted from too much blood loss. I was so afraid he was going to die. I had to use Naosusaiga on him."

"Seriously. You are so much different at saving someone's life than your father is."

"That's what Oji(san) said earlier. But that trait alone is what being hanyou is. I'm a demon, but I've got a human heart and the desire to save lives without hesitating or worrying what other people might think about it. I couldn't let Takeuchi-san die like that. His family needs him and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hesitated knowing I had the power and the means to do something."

"So what are we going to do about the kimono shop, guys?" asks Ayumi, "The one we're going to closes in two hours."

"We could just do that in the morning," suggests Kagome, "Let's stop by the Food Mart instead, since Rai is cooking tonight."

"What about Raniku's funeral?" asks Rai.

"You could ask Mom if you can borrow one of her kimonos. You're about her height and she's got plenty kimonos," offers Kagome. "You'll be cooking in her place. Plus you let her see Grandpa again."

Later on that day, Ayumi drives her car to the Food Mart and lets her friends out by the curb. As Rai reaches the front entrance, she's greeted by the same man she rescued, exiting the store. "Surprised to see you again," Shino replies.

"Like wise. How are you feeling? You're looking much better than when I first saw you."

"I am. I'm still confused about how I was revived. My car's all totaled, no thanks to those two drunks, but how am I going to explain this one to Anita is beyond me."

"Just tell her you had a brush with death and had a guardian angel looking out for you."

Kagome approaches the two of them. Shino glances at Kagome. "Hey I know you."

"Who me?" Kagome replies with a surprised look on her face.

"You know my Aunt Kagome?"

"I know her kid brother. Sota Higarashi. We were classmates in Junior High and High School."

"He's at the shrine if you want to see him again," informs Kagome, "Both he and Hitomi are here this weekend for the funeral."

"The Higarashi Funeral? Yeah, I'll stop by with my wife and kids tomorrow night."

"How though? Your car is…"

"I've got enough for a rental. We've also got more than one car as well."

"You could stop by tonight, too. I'll be cooking dinner…"

"I'd hate to impose," replies Shino with a grimace on his face.

"You wouldn't be. You're the one that died and got his life restored. Besides I love cooking for a gathering. More guests the better. After what you've been through…"

"I guess. Sure we might stop by. I would like to see Sota again. What's your name, the girl that saved me?"

"Rai, Takeuchi-san."

"Rai. That's a short name. How is that spelled?"

"RA…I…" She writes the kanji to her name on a slip of paper Kagome gives her and gives the name to the man.

"Well I'll be getting out of you ladies' hair. I'll get home and tell Anita dinner will be at the Higarashi Shrine. What time should we make it?"

"What time is it, Kagome?"

"It's 5:00 now. An hour, you think."

"Sure thing. See you then, Kagome. Same with you, Rai my savior."

"We'd better get to buying these ingredients you need for what you're planning," suggests Kagome.

"I'm planning to make the very similar Ramen Sango, Shippo, Raniku, and I made you last night."

"I thought you don't cook the same thing twice."

"I don't. I'm going to change up the menu. From what scents this marketplace is giving off, you've got more to offer in this era of yours."

Rai pans the store with determined eyes, stiffing through the air with her strong canine nose. "I can tell in this marketplace, you've got fresh goods mixed in with dry. Tell me where the fresh bases for ramen would be?"

"Does it really matter how fresh it has to be?" asks Yuka, walking past Rai and Kagome. Yuka reaches a shelf with a box of dry ramen. "In this era we use dry and instant."

"I don't want to choose anything that comes out of a container like that. Dry doesn't mean it's good. Fresh is the best way."

"There are fresher noodles in the back here," informs Kagome. "Can't very well argue with my culinary-artist niece here. What sort of meat do you want?"

"Since Oji(san) is eating with us, beef would be good. Marinate that in pineapple juice. Sweet and spicy curry powders, fresh onions…snow peas. Need carrots and celery. And rice. Can't make simple appetizers without rice. And what sort of fruit do you have?"

"Lady," replies the store clerk, overhearing her demands, "We've got fresh cherry, strawberry, grapes, and oranges."

"Might take all four and try them out."

"Try them out on what?" he hollers back.

"Rice and rice balls. That's what I do to rice, sweeten it with fruit juice."

"Anything else?"

"Green mint tea if you have it?"

Kagome and her friends gather the ingredients at Rai's request and bring them to the front counter. "Is this all you need? Bill comes to ¥2538."

"Do you have that much gold, Kagome?" asks Rai.

"Yes, but it's Yen not gold." Kagome retrieves the money from her purse and gives the amount to the clerk.

"You want me to help carry these bags to your car?"

"We can manage, sir."

"We've got enough food here to feed a small army," comments Yuka.


End file.
